During the NCQA Health Care Quality Congress last year, I listened to conversations, presentations, questions, and the ideas expressed by attendees and faculty. It was a vibrant conference with many perspectives shared through panels, town hall-like forums, and informal gatherings. I was incredibly impressed by the energy in the rooms, hallways, and receptions.

As the last speaker of the conference, I was anxious about what I could offer beyond that which had already been experienced. Therefore, I decided to offer a reflection of what I had heard and learned in the form of a (w)rap-up. Below is an edited version of what I said.

One trillion dollars
Is the price we pay each year,
For wasteful, unnecessary, healthcare…
And a rank that has us near the rear.

Unexplained clinical variation
Is just another name,
For ill-informed decisions
That cause avoidable harm, loss, and pain.

So we treat the pain and cause addiction,
Because what we think we know is often fiction.
And the guidelines we should respect,
Are the ones we often neglect.

It doesn’t have to be, 
And shouldn’t be the case.
All of us, together in this space,
Share a vision of a healthier (near-future) place.

Where quality-driven healthcare,
Is appropriate and accessible.
We ask what matters most,
And social determinants are addressable.

No one chooses between food or medication,
Insurance covers exercise and education.
Lifespan isn’t determined by geographic location,
And care doesn’t vary with payment model or organization.

Caregivers get support from the start,
To give care that can only come from the heart.
Seniors age at home,
Where they love and laugh instead of living alone. 

Clinicians have the tools, the time and information,
To focus on people and their population.
With professional satisfaction that every action,
Is supported by data and delivered with compassion.

Technology will facilitate and innovate, 
Not frustrate and aggravate
Because we made it imitate the way we
Document and dictate just to justify a billing rate.

Measures will be flexible, relevant and aligned.
Attribution and accountability defined,
Keeping simplicity and data liquidity in mind,
So we can leave the 20th-century measurement model behind.

And health professionals will form teams,
As part of systems that provide the means,
To deliver on these themes,
So that they become routine – not visions in our dreams.

Yes – there will be mountains and hills.
Deeply dug heels and strong wills.
We’ll face reluctance and questions,
From slow-changing professions.

And vendors, the government  – both states and the feds,
The payers and networks and hospitals that must fill beds.
Employers who’ll ask, “what will this cost?”
And in the midst of this barrage, it will be easy to get lost.

It’s a journey, not a race,
Don’t let doubt define the pace.
It’s a vision we can share,
And only together can we get there.