Ep 169 – The Patient Priority: Solve Health Care’s Value Crisis by Measuring and Delivering Outcomes That Matter to Patients, with Dr. Stefan Larsson and Robert Howard

The only way for the health care sector to sustainably contain costs and fulfill its mission is by putting the patient — and the delivery of outcomes that matter to patients — at the center of the industry’s efforts. We must align incentives around the continuous improvement of health outcomes in a cost-effective matter. This is what value-based health care is all about – better health outcomes to patients for the money spent. Contrary to traditional approaches to health system reform that emphasize cost containment, value-based health care shifts the focus to continuous improvement in the outcomes delivered to patients. On the Race to Value this week, we are joined by two of the four authors from the new healthcare book, “The Patient Priority”. With this book, they wrote a practical step-by-step guide for clinicians, payers, policymakers, and other industry stakeholders to lead patient-centered, value-based health care innovation. It presents case studies from leading innovators and provides a roadmap for the comprehensive value-based transformation of national health systems. On the show this week is Stefan Larsson, MD, PhD — an independent advisor in health care and life sciences, and a senior advisor to Boston Consulting Group (BCG).  Joining him is Robert Howard, a former senior editor at Harvard Business Review and MIT Technology Review who collaborates with BCG on the topics of value-based care and health system transformation.   Episode Bookmarks: 01:30 Putting patients first is the only way for the health care sector to sustainably contain costs and fulfill its mission. 02:00 Introduction to Stefan Larsson, MD, PhD and Robert Howard and their new book, “The Patient Priority.” 03:00 Support Race to Value by subscribing to our weekly newsletter and leaving a review/rating on Apple Podcasts. 04:30 The Triple Crisis:  There is a Crisis of Value, a Crisis of Evidence, and a Crisis of Purpose in American Healthcare! 05:30 How the vicious cycle of how a continued explosion of medical research knowledge drives higher costs due to anxiety and lack of guidance. 07:00 The crisis of outcomes (e.g. obesity, declining life expectancy) have persisted over a long period of time. 07:30 “The health care crisis will only get worse unless there is a fundamental shift in how we lead, define success, and agree on what good looks like.” 08:00 The criticality of shifting to an outcomes measurement model that values what matters to patients. 08:30 “Outcomes that matter to patients is the essence of the future of healt