Hartford Healthcare CEO Elliot Joseph says the healthcare landscape is changing rapidly and he wants his organization to be a thought leader on a variety of issues. Here’s what he has to say on some key issues:
Payment reform — Joseph said he is a proponent of changing how medical providers get paid because that “will add fuel to the redesign of the delivery system.”
The current system of reimbursing providers on the volume of care rather than quality of care has led to the segmented delivery system, Joseph said.
He said he is open to a system that pays providers to manage patient care and incorporates quality outcomes. That will incentivize different providers to align more closely to ensure patients receive the best quality care.
Each of the contracts Hartford Healthcare has inked recently with insurers has had pilot programs that incorporate a pay-for-performance model, rather than just a fee-for-service model, Joseph said.
Insurance companies — Hartford Healthcare has a “couple” of big insurance contracts that will need to be renegotiated by the end of the year and Joseph expects tense negotiations.
“I think they are going to be long-term processes,” said Joseph, who didn’t identify the insurers or provide details about the contracts. “With all the uncertainties about the financing and payment of healthcare, everybody is on pins and needles. So I would expect the negotiations will be long-term, drawn-out affairs.”
Health care reform — Joseph said Hartford Healthcare is trying to influence the outcome of health care reform both on the state and federal level. Although federal reform has been passed, Joseph said there is still a lot to be determined about how final regulations will be written. That is why he has flown to Washington D.C. to share with policymakers some of Hartford Healthcare’s experiences and to ensure the organization is a thought partner in the process.
Joseph said he believes Hartford Healthcare’s move toward a larger, integrated system is aligned with the direction others across the country will have to go.
“We have a lot of expertise and we want to try to influence the outcome of regulation,” he said.
