WASHINGTON — Invacare Chairman and CEO Mal Mixon was among a group of health care executives invited to a roundtable discussion April 8 with White House health reform chief Nancy-Ann DeParle.
"Every patient in every hospital or nursing home dreams of one thing: going home. Home care is the only trifecta in the health care system — it is patient preferred, has better clinical outcomes and is significantly more cost effective than institutional care," Mixon told the group.
During the two-hour discussion, DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform, heard views from the diverse roster of 33 execs representing patients, providers, insurers, drugmakers and other stakeholders — and most pointed out problems with the nation's ailing health care system. The group focused on the growing incidence of chronic disease, skyrocketing costs, coverage and the complexity of health IT, among other issues.
Some, including Mixon, also pointed to solutions. Home care "clearly lowers cost," he said. "With the technology that is available we can now create a hospital room in the home."
Kenneth E. Thorpe, executive director of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, said innovative ways to prevent chronic illnesses must be found, such as getting schools involved in children's care, launching more community programs and getting workplace employers to address the issue.
Pharmacy benefit manager Medco Chairman David Snow said the country could save $350 billion a year by better managing the treatment of chronic disease, and another $200 billion by instituting medical malpractice reform. He also said Medicare could save $130 billion each year by coordinating care delivered to beneficiaries in the last year of their life.
After the meeting, Mixon said, "The thing about it that amazed me was how many connected points there were to home care," noting comments on rehab and chronic care issues from those representing patient groups such as Easter Seals. "I think things will be different in this reform. There's a lot of momentum to do something … I think home care will get a lot of attention," he said. However, he added, "once they design this thing, the elephant in the room is who's going to pay for it and how are you going to pay for it."
In her closing remarks, DeParle acknowledged "the devil is in the details" and asked participants to "stay with us" as Congress works to craft and pass reform legislation. "But the great news is … maybe we are finally at the point when we are in the details," she said. "Congress is working and you're all at the table helping."
House and Senate Democratic leaders have told President Obama they will have health reform bills on his desk by August.
"Nancy-Ann has given us her phone number and email and encouraged us to keep up dialog ... so I'm going to continue communicating with her," Mixon said.
Read an HHS blog entry on the event.