For the sickest 5% of the population, who consume 50% of health care spending, addressing chronic patients needs through expanded primary-care reduces costs and improves quality of care.
When corporations, health care leaders, and policy makers discuss the challenge of curbing health care costs, focus generally turns to the sickest 5% of the population, who consume 50% of health care spending. For many years there has been hope that improving the efficiency and quality of their treatment would significantly reduce amount countries like USA lays out annually for health care.
During the past years, health care providers have embraced expensive disease-management programs that, involving primary-care physicians, registered nurses and social workers into monitoring, coaching, and providing services to chronic patients, many of whom are in the top 5%. While these programs increase quality of care, they have not helped curb costs.
