GREENFIELD — Local health care leaders say they’re working to be responsive to a coming health care crisis.
Hancock Regional Hospital CEO Steve Long spoke to a group of about 70 individuals during a health care update arranged by the Hancock Regional Hospital Foundation, an annual luncheon for people interested in learning more about the state of health care.
In addition to continuing efforts to promote preventive health, Hancock Health is focused on expanding to the western parts of the county expected to see the most population increase in the decade to come. This includes the low-cost diagnostic imaging lab currently under construction at the northwest corner of county roads 200N and 600W, which Long said is expected to open its doors by June 2019. Following quick in succession is an announced Hancock Regional Health Complex with physicians offices, imaging capabilities and a wellness center, expected to open in 2020.
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Market analysis from Navigant Consulting, a Chicago-based firm, suggests residents in the western third of the county aren’t as familiar with Hancock Health (which comprises Hancock Regional Hospital, Hancock Physicians Network, the Sue Ann Wortman Cancer Center and Hancock Wellness Centers) and instead are traveling to Indianapolis, Fishers or Carmel for their health care needs, said Hancock Physician Network CEO Rob Matt in March.
Long said in recent years, it’s become more clear to hospital leaders that preventing chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease is more effective then treatment after the fact. Hancock Health began in 2016 implementing a prevention-based model, which ranks its Medicare patients from lowest to highest risk and works to connect its most critically ill patients with preventive care programs aimed at preventing hospital stays.
Some 12 percent of Medicare patients are responsible for 43 percent of Medicare costs, because those patients suffer from one or more chronic diseases and spend multiple days and repeat visits in the hospital being treated for those illnesses, Long said.
The preventive, or population health model, focuses on wrapping patients in a variety of services focused on prevention and treatment of chronic conditions, including lab tests, imaging and following through on a plan of care created by the patient’s physician, according to Daily Reporter archives.
The hospital’s efforts focus on following up with patients after they leave the hospital, helping them overcome obstacles to getting follow-up care — such as transportation — and encouraging them to take control of their health by eating healthy and exercising.
Long said the health care system still revolves around getting paid for treating illnesses, and until it changes to focus on prevention, health care costs, especially for people with one or more chronic diseases, will only continue to rise.
Health care spending is projected to be nearly 20 percent of the American gross domestic product by 2022, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Long said as Americans continue to grow older, costs will continue to rise, and the industry and country must find a way to address it.
“As people retire, the number of people who go on Medicare or Medicaid and who need care for chronic diseases will only continue to grow,” he said, adding that when social security and Medicare funding run out, it could be catastrophic for Americans. “If that happens, they will either cut benefits as a country, refuse to cover patients or borrow to make up the difference.”
Long said the alternative to this prediction is to understand and address the issues with the health care industry, but that the time to begin addressing the problems was 20 to 30 years ago.
Locally, in addition to moving its focus to preventive health, Hancock Health is working to maintain and grow its ability to offer what Long called world-class medical care in the service area. This effort in the past year has included hiring seven additional physicians or specialists to the Hancock Health staff.
Hancock Health Foundation manager Allyson Smith said the health care update is an annual educational event put together by the foundation.
“We want to help people learn about what’s going on in health care and what we’re doing to thrive in a changing environment,” she said.
