Industry Experts Weigh In On Healthcare Reform

Forrester recently attended H.I.L. Forum's Transforming Healthcare Summit 2009, which brought together four expert panelists from across the healthcare industry. Discussion focused on the speed and extent of upcoming reform, with panelists largely agreeing that reform will expand on the existing multi-payer system, that culture and process need to change along with technology, and that progress will be incremental at best. While Forrester generally agrees, we also see heated political debates on the horizon about the creation of a new public health plan, serious roadblocks to technology change that won't be solved by stimulus money, and a long wait ahead for widespread adoption of electronic medical records. The point? Health plan customer experience professionals will have time to adapt. To get ahead of the game, customer experience professionals should expand low-tech strategies to engage physicians, get involved in "meaningful use" discussions, and pursue portability strategies for personal health records (PHRs).