Future Now
The IFTF Blog
Even hospitals think wellness is an important part of health
The American Hospital Association (AHA) recently issued a report entitled, "Health for Life: Better Health, Better Health Care," which places a great emphasis on wellness. The "
Focus on Wellness" section of the report recognizes that high rates of chronic illness mean higher direct and indirect health care costs. It calls for a "national framework of change" that would include efforts to prevent or reduce the incidence and prevalence of illness and injury, and measures to manage chronic disease once it has arisen.
The U.S. health care system is structured around diagnosis and treatment rather than wellness and prevention. We have a "sick" care system rather than a "health" care system. As a result, many individuals are not getting recommended levels of primary and preventive care. . . .
The role of the health care system in wellness and prevention includes education on health behaviors, preventive care like immunizations, screening to catch diseases or risk factors at early stages when they are most amenable to treatment and disease management. Research suggests that clinical prevention services reduce disease disability and death.
The section concludes by asking and answering the question, "What would we gain from a focus on wellness?"
Creating a healthier America will require significant change for individuals and society as a whole, but the dividends could be enormous. The evidence continues to mount that wellness and prevention efforts across many venues have significant returns in terms of better quality of life, reduced mortality, lower health care costs and a more productive workforce.
It is not clear to what extent the AHA intends or will invest in directly addressing the problem it has identified in this report-- namely, the lack of enough health. Reductions in the incidence and prevalence of disease and injury will cause a major reduction in hospital utilization and revenue, but will perhaps open up new opportunities to promote health and wellness. This report at least suggests that hospitals and providers might seek to align their efforts with the interests of other stakeholders in the system.