Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE IMPLEMENTATION IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Digital Health
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Unwell in America
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Supply Chain
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • Data Center
    • Data Center Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Opinion
February 07, 2019 12:00 AM

Commentary: Lessons from Davos on how to transform healthcare

Robert C. Garrett
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Robert C. Garrett is CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey.

    My latest trip to Davos to participate in the World Economic Forum last month was a productive and exciting gaze into the future of healthcare delivery: a world of healthcare with no address, greater immersion in population health strategies and a global push to advance mental health treatment.

    It's a sizable agenda for four days and many of us emerged with a renewed commitment to partner to improve outcomes and reduce costs, to continue our investments in technology that's radically changing care delivery, and to expand the march to value. Here are four takeaways from my conversations with global and national healthcare leaders:

    First, we are moving at lightning speed in advancing technology, especially in the realm of telemedicine, developments that are truly transformational and deserve complete support. In a sense, smartphones are allowing us to live in a world where healthcare has no address and we can connect with our physicians from our bed if necessary. Kaiser Permanente has set the bar in America with half of its total patient-physician encounters annually conducted through telemedicine. Our network and many others are rapidly expanding this vital service.

    Globally, technology is even more transformative. China's largest online health platform, Ping An Good Doctor, just announced a pilot of "one-minute clinics'—1,000 units that look like a vending machine attached to a telephone booth that provide online consultations and carry 100 categories of common drugs cryogenically refrigerated to ensure quality. The Jetsons could not have dreamed up this advance.

    Second, let's move faster to integrate population health strategies into care delivery. In a world with 2 billion people over the age of 65 and 76 million baby boomers in the U.S. hitting their golden years, healthcare must adapt. This means more community-based care, more longitudinal care rather than episodic treatment and a renewed commitment to focus on prevention so we can slow the arc of spending for future generations.

    Why? There's an urgent need to address chronic illness. Diabetes alone costs $727 billion to treat worldwide – that's 12% of total spending on adults. Meanwhile, depression is not only one of the costliest chronic illnesses, it's also the major reason people are too disabled to work.

    Third, Davos is the perfect incubator for potential partnerships and leveraging partnerships is a core business strategy for so many healthcare organizations in the U.S. and globally. Partnerships deliver value for patients, employers and payers, with innovative approaches that give consumers what they want, even as their needs evolve. Hackensack Meridian Health's recent merger with Carrier Clinic, a highly respected behavioral health provider in New Jersey, is expanding access in every sphere of care: inpatient, outpatient and addiction treatment. We plan to open new drug treatment centers, including one this year, as well as New Jersey's first behavioral health urgent-care center. This strategy will divert patients from the emergency department, get patients the expertise they need faster and more conveniently and lower costs.

    Fourth, and it builds on the previous point, we must harness our collective will to radically improve the treatment of people suffering from mental illness and substance use disorder. I was so heartened to learn that Prince William and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern were the hot ticket in Davos. So many wanted to attend their discussion on mental health.

    It takes a village to improve care at home and abroad to expand access so that all citizens can enjoy health and obtain treatment that's more convenient and affordable. Here's to bringing many success stories to Davos in 2020.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    rural-health2_i.png
    Kentucky governor signs bill to bolster rural hospitals
    young doctor medical resident
    10 things to know about 2023 Match Day
    Most Popular
    1
    More healthcare organizations at risk of credit default, Moody's says
    2
    Centene fills out senior executive team with new president, COO
    3
    SCAN, CareOregon plan to merge into the HealthRight Group
    4
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan unveils big push that lets physicians take on risk, reap rewards
    5
    Bright Health weighs reverse stock split as delisting looms
    Sponsored Content
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Digital Health
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Unwell in America
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Supply Chain
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing