The Better Healthcare Policy Group hosted the Better Care Summit on December 5, 2024 at the Association of American Medical Colleges Learning Center in Washington, DC. Keynote Speakers addressed the pressing need for primary care reform:

• Dr. Joseph R. Betancourt – “The Future of Primary Care”
• Mark McClellan, MD, PhD – “Primary Care in the U.S.: The Promise and the Peril”

Panel Discussions led by Allyson Schwartz, Jon Kingsdale and John Toussaint identified critical challenges and actionable solutions for: advancing value-based care (VBC), employer-led healthcare strategies, and patient safety improvements. Key takeaways included:

• Transitioning from fee-for-service to risk-sharing, outcome-driven reimbursement to enhance care coordination.
• Reducing Regulatory Barriers: cutting administrative burdens, prior authorization delays, and access restrictions to improve efficiency and engagement.
• Employer-Driven Innovation: leveraging tiered networks, direct primary care, and transparent pricing to improve workforce health and control costs.
• Empowering Consumers: simplifying value-based care benefits and incentives to build trust and boost engagement.
• Enhancing Patient Safety & Transparency: mandatory public reporting and real-time patient feedback tools to drive accountability and quality.
• Investing in AI & Data Analytics: using AI-driven monitoring, predictive analytics, and EHR integration to detect risks earlier and improve outcomes.
• Aligning Executive Incentives with Quality: holding health system leaders accountable for patient safety and care outcomes.
• A patient safety pilot project involving the Leapfrog Group and Epic Systems..

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