Creating a Consensus to Improve Health Care

Abstract

Calif. J. Politics Policy 2014; 6(2): 231–232 Commentary Pam Kehaly* Creating a Consensus to Improve Health Care Keywords: consensus; integrated care; population health. DOI 10.1515/cjpp-2014-0017 Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. Helen Keller I agreed to participate in the Berkeley Forum in early 2012 with a healthy dose of skepticism seasoned with a dash of hope. I was quite frankly seduced by Stephen Shortell’s (Dean, School of Public Health at UC Berkeley) energy and enthusiasm around a multi-party collaborative effort to improve California’s healthcare delivery system. He convincingly outlined a plan to pull together CEOs of health insurers, hospitals, and physician organizations, as well as state regula- tors and policymakers to improve the affordability and quality of healthcare in California. Did a path really exist, through industry collaboration, to change the current trajectory of sky-rocketing health care costs and deteriorating population health in California? Despite extreme doubts, Stephen had planted a seed of hope and I signed on. I recognized that the current approach was simply not working, and the numbers tell the story. Chronic conditions are on the rise – obesity up from 14.6% in 1995 to over 29% in 2010. Diabetes increased 68.6% over that same period. Healthcare expenditures per capita almost doubled since 2000. The picture – as shown in the Berkeley Forum Report – was far from rosy. So the journey began, and progress was slow. It was difficult to agree on the key problems, much less the answers to those problems. Data were often incon- clusive, and opinions were strong. Many times, we found ourselves chasing an elusive concept down a winding rabbit hole only to arrive at a dead end. But, after many, many hours of heated discussion and lots of caffeine, clarity and *Corresponding author: Pam Kehaly, Anthem Blue Cross, Los Angeles, CA, USA, e-mail: pam.kehaly@wellpoint.com