New Survey Points to Health System Failures in Care for Those with Complex Needs
<p>A new nationwide survey of adults with complex care needs shows that the U.S. health system is failing to deliver high-quality, coordinated care to these patients. While nearly all of the high-need patients surveyed have consistent access to health care (95%), they struggle to get the coordinated medical, behavioral, and social services they require to stay well and avoid costly hospital visits.</p><p>The Commonwealth Fund survey of 3,009 adults included 1,805 who are high-need, defined as having two or more major chronic conditions like heart failure or stroke, sometimes accompanied by disability or limitations in performing daily tasks. According to the survey, inadequate access to care coordinators, assistance with functional limitations, emotional counseling, and transportation services are all significant problems for these people.</p>
<p><a href="/publications/issue-briefs/2016/dec/how-high-need-patients-experience-health-care-united-states">Read more about the survey</a>.</p>
<p>Five national health care foundations—The John A. Hartford Foundation, the Peterson Center on Healthcare, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The SCAN Foundation, and The Commonwealth Fund—have launched a new digital resource to help health system leaders and insurers improve care for patients with complex medical and social needs. Developed by experts at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, <em><a href="http://bettercareplaybook.org/" target="_blank">The Playbook: Better Care for People with Complex Needs</a></em> offers examples of successful approaches to care, guidance on making the business case for investing in these models, and opportunities for policy and payment reform.</p>