It's Necessary to Build an Active Health System in Prevention of Chronic Diseases
“While strengthening the healthcare system, we must construct a new proactive health system.” On October 12, at the 8th U.S.-China Health Summit, the co-founder of U.S.-China Health Summit, and Dean of School of Public Health of CAMS & PUMC, LIU Yuanli explained in detail.
Prevention is the Key
"Proactive health emphasizes on prevention; The entire medical system shifts from passive treatment to proactive prevention." Liu pointed out that after New China was newly established, our country was in a poor condition, but since we gave great emphasis on prevention and public health. In the short term, the health status of Chinese people has changed a lot. The life expectancy of per capita has exceeded the world average in the early 1970s. It fully demonstrates that active and conscious barriers, which have a major impact on disease prevention and treatment.
LIU Yuanli, Dean of School of Public Health of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College (CAMS & PUMC); President, Chinese Aging Well Association
Keynote Speech: "Universal Health Coverage: International Movement and Chinese Practice"
However, the current national lifestyle has undergone great changes, such as eating too much, consuming too much oil and salt intake, gradually having brought us into a slow era of chronic diseases.
In this regard, Liu stressed that we must actively construct a new proactive and healthcare system, so that more people in the future will not get sick, will get less sick and sick at a later age. Liu believes that prevention could mean that nearly 150 million elderly over the age of 65 will be transformed from chronically ill patients and passive medical resource consumers into healthy social contributors. Not only has the medical burden of the country been greatly reduced, but it has also increased the labor force of the society.
Building a proactive health system requires the participation of the whole society. Liu believes that in the active health system, everyone will transform from a passive medical consumer to an active health creator, each of whom is his own health gatekeeper.
How to build an active health system
"Medical insurance is the core of creating active health." Liu pointed out that in the active health system, from the grassroots village doctors to the county hospitals, the entire medical association should be guided by health results: the more healthy people, the better the doctor's income.
However, the current medical security system and payment system are all “passive medical” systems, which is indicated by payment by project. The more patients are treated by doctors, the more prescriptions are prescribed, and the higher doctor’s income.
“The social security cost of last year was about 150 billion, which is equivalent to the world’s largest investment fund.” Liu suggested, according to the traditional medical system, the medical insurance department is like a passive accountant. The hospital saw it and paid for medical insurance and reimbursement. Nevertheless, It is now turning into strategic sourcing.
What is strategic procurement? Liu explained the following three aspects:
First, change from the quantity of purchases to the quality of procurement. In the past, the more hospital did, the more medical insurance was reimbursed. The active health system advocates that once the better the quality is done, the more compensation the hospital will receive.
Second, purchase innovation. Quality improvement must have innovations in technology and service models. Social security needs to make new decisions on purchase innovation. New technologies and new drugs, from research and development to listing, should not focus too much on purchase, but rather consciously invest in innovation. Innovation requires cost and reducing price should not always be done.
Third, making healthy purchase. Through the change of payment methods, the entire health care system can be treated from passive treatment to active system for the eventual implementation of the total prepayment system. The more surgeries are done, the greater losses to medical industry. Thus, the doctor must find ways to make consumers become healthier. Once they are not sick and they do not spend a penny a year, then the social security to the hospital will become net income for the hospital.
The ultimate winner is the people of society for the active health system. When health status improves, there is no need to passively wait for becoming ill. At the same time, providers of healthcare services reduced their costs so that revenues have increased. In turn, the economic interests of the medical group and the health interests of people are aligned.
