The list of main problems cannot be viewed as a list of separate problems. Instead, each issue in the American healthcare system is connected to other issues, which creates a complex chain of interconnected problems. However, in order to resolve them, the approach should not focus on either of those issues. Instead, changing the perspective on the way health care is delivered can resolve the complex system of issues with less effort. Hence, Aetna offers a system that is different from the one that is currently implied in the United States and most of the other world countries.
The article provides numerous examples of how an ineffective healthcare system creates issues that cause excessive financial burdens and is not focused on the resolution of the patient’s issue. For instance, there is an asthmatic patient who has made 405 visits to the emergency room during the year (Henderson et al., 2018). As a result, the care costs associated with her treatment escalated to $2.7 million, while the patient was exhausted as she was 75 years old (Henderson et al., 2018). Such tendency would continue with an approach where a hospital or emergency room visit is the only option. However, after Aetna has sent a nurse to the patient’s house, it was identified that her thermostat was set on 60 degrees, and the woman was using angora sweaters and blankets to stay warm (Henderson et al., 2018). The most important part is that all this time, she was allergic to angora. Hence, by providing such simple care and investigation into the case, millions of dollars and hundreds of working hours could be saved and distributed to more urgent cases.
The example that is provided above illustrates how Aetna attempts to resolve the complex issues in the United States healthcare system. Aetna aims at creating an on-demand healthcare service, where nurses and healthcare providers would answer patient’s request in-person or through digital platform. The model is inspired by the technological advancements and models of digital business that have become leaders of their respective industries during the last two decades such as Uber and Facebook.
Recommended Solutions to the problems
Aetna intends to create an ecosystem, where consumers of healthcare are viewed as members and they are connected to the healthcare providers. To simplify the cases for nurses and healthcare professional, the digital platform would utilize data analysis tools to work closely with members and coordinate their healthcare (Henderson et al., 2018). Each member would be directly connected to the platform’s representative, that would provide an individualized approach to each case and would offer professional assistance and connect the member with a healthcare provider promptly.
Outcome Expectation
Digital and technological solutions that will be used in the platform will be used to simplify and demystify healthcare services to its consumers. As a result, patients would be able to optimize their healthcare expenses, and the time they spend on it. This would decrease the expenses associated with care costs, improve healthcare efficiency by minimizing the workload for nurses, and improve patient outcomes by eliminating causes of unnecessary visits to hospitals and emergency rooms. Hence, the outcome expectation is a stable digital platform that provides an alternative to the existing healthcare system and ensures that healthcare costs are minimized for both consumers and providers.
Reference
Henderson, R. M., Eisenstat, R. and Preble, M. (2018). “Aetna and the Transformation of Health Care.” Harvard Business School Case 318-048.