Is SHAQ the future of health care?

摘要

What is SHAQ? No, not the basketball player but an acronym for the basis of some of the biggest challenges and changes that we face as health care delivery and reimbursement evolve. SAVINGS OF COST Our current health care system consumes nearly 20% of our gross domestic product and remains the fastest growing sector of the economy. Even in the current economic downturn, the one sector that is showing growth is health care. As a nation, the United States spends almost twice as much per capita on health care as any other industrialized society. This is not a sustainable situation, and the pressure is on from all levels to control the cost. Ultimately, the only 2 ways to control health care cost escalation are either to reduce the amount of services provided or to pay at a lower rate per unit of service.