Health care is no fairytale, but there is a fairytale that can tell a great deal about health care. Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes” provides a fitting portrayal of today’s health care landscape.
The Emperor and health care stakeholders -- cared little for anything but extravagant clothes (high-cost services, high-priced medications). The Emperor’s health care stakeholders (advisers, brokers, etc.) and subjects (vendors, employees/ patients) ignored the truth about the Emperor’s clothes (high costs, poor quality, limited care navigation, etc.) for fear of upsetting the Emperor (health care stakeholders).
Our final character, and arguably the most important, is the hero, the one that recognizes the deception.
In our health care analogy, the hero needs to be employers. Employers need to recognize the pervasive themes of the story in the context of THEIR health care programs.
Employers need to stop behaving like so many others, and avoid accepting “facts” without question. Employers need to recognize there is an undeniable truth about their health plans: their backs are not against the wall on health care spending and quality, and undue, collective complacency can be avoided.
So how can employers be the hero and call out the truth?
Employers should follow the “Four A’s”: Audit, Analytics, Accountability and Action. Asking these questions illustrates where you can lower costs while improving quality of care.