Pondering the Future of Healthcare

Culpeper Star Exponent

Business Monday

Jim Charapich

May 13, 2013

What is the future of healthcare? What is real reform? It is difficult to see the future, however, as the Secretary of Health & Human Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia, stated in our Chamber luncheon last week, “Healthcare reform is essential.” His comments went on to illustrate that the U.S. spends a great deal more on healthcare than any other country. OECD Health Data showed that in 2010 the US per capita healthcare expenditures were $7,910 with the nearest country being Switzerland at $5,270. And yet, we are struggling with escalating healthcare costs.

I was attending an awards dinner last week and happened to sit with a friend that is very knowledgeable about the fitness industry. I showed him my new FITBIT, a wristband that records all of my movements as calories burned. It also tells me how much sleep I had during the night. It shows the number of times that I was awake and the times I was restless. The wristband syncs wirelessly with my iPhone through the FITBIT app. I add in my meals and other fitness activities like Spinning, running, swimming, etc... It then tells me my net end of day calorie difference. Did I eat more that I burned? As we progressed in our discussion, I began to think that the FITBIT could be a glimpse into our health care reform.

Why a window into the future? Imagine the info in my FITBIT app feeding back to my doctor. He then could see a biometric report about my body. Given that the current system rewards doctor visits related to illness, we need a way to bridge to a new system of healthcare that is preventative more than incidental. What would it be like if the doctor would arrange an appointment based on the biometric info that our bodies were sending. A recommendation could be “see your trainer at the fitness facility for a review of your workout routine" and I will set up a flag to check your metrics in two weeks.

As I think about the possibilities, it occurs to me that my insurance company might like to see the info. I might be willing to share if it meant lower insurance rates. Don’t want to share it, no problem, stay on the current payment plan with no discount. So here it is, an incentive to eat right, exercise, and reduce chronic illness. There are certainly privacy issues. However, as I search for the fountain of youth as part of the “Boomer Generation” this is an easy answer. I just need to know the truth about what I am doing. Do I think that I am eating well and do I think that I am getting the right amount of exercise? Or, do I know that I am. It is amazing what I have found in logging in my food. Yes, this is extra work initially, but it gets easier as my meals are defined.

There is an opportunity for us to understand our bodies better than ever before. As, I have stated in earlier columns, we are in the greatest time in history. We have access to more knowledge than ever before. However, having more information does not mean that we are better informed. It is how we use the information that makes us smarter, faster, and stronger.