Transforming Healthcare: A Lesson from Public Education

Healthcare is such a complex concept, and it can be a challenge to explain the importance of a well-designed healthcare system given its complexity. However, a common theme of my blog is that a thoughtfully designed healthcare system that shares accountability for the patient’s health and wellbeing is essential to delivering effective care. 

Healthcare is not something people often think about if they are otherwise healthy. Often, when people are in the prime of health, they have not built a relationship with a primary care physician. Then, when they get sick or have a significant health problem, it can be confusing to navigate a complicated system. 

In thinking of analogies to make the concept of healthcare transformation more relatable, I immediately thought of another public service sector: the public education system. 

Just as healthcare needs continued transformation at a national level, the nation’s public school systems have evolved over time to adopt a more equitable and holistic approach to education. 

In public education, the traditional model often emphasized standardized testing and a rigid curriculum, which failed to accommodate the diverse needs of students. This one-size-fits-all approach left many students behind, particularly those from under-resourced communities. 

The shift toward student-centered learning in education is a significant transformation. This new approach prioritizes personalized teaching methods that differentiate to accommodate individual learning styles and needs, provides support beyond academics, and involves parents and communities in the educational process. Schools are now more aware of the importance of mental health services and overall student wellbeing. The public school system is now more focused on helping students successfully navigate their education, with administrators, teachers, and staff sharing accountability along the way. 

In healthcare, a similar transformation is underway toward patient- and family-centered accountable care. This shift includes advanced primary care, integrated care teams, and a focus on addressing social drivers of health, while making sure everyone has access to healthcare. This model looks at the whole patient, recognizing the importance of the environment, diet and exercise, mental health, chronic disease management, and preventive services. At the hub of the model is the primary care provider, who works in partnership with the patient and their loved ones, helping them navigate a complex system. 

This contrasts with the traditional fee-for-service model in healthcare, which has focused on episodes of care rather than being accountable for overall health and treating illnesses rather than preventing them. This model is more chaotic, putting too much onus on the patient to figure out what steps to take once they are already sick. It is a costly approach that contributes to healthcare disparities and an overemphasis on reactive, rather than proactive, healthcare. 

The Path Forward: Embracing Transformation 

The systemic changes seen in public education offer valuable lessons for healthcare transformation. While no system is perfect, and improvement must be continuous, the education system has made strides toward accommodating the diverse needs of all students. Healthcare must follow suit and continue to evolve to meet the unique needs of all patients. This includes shifting toward a system that prioritizes accountability through relationships of respect, prevention, better management of chronic illness, and equity. 

While some health organizations, like GBMC HealthCare, have taken important steps toward this goal, the broader industry and the national healthcare system still has a long way to go. I am hopeful that more leaders within the healthcare industry will recognize the need for transformation, much like the public school system has, to ensure that no one is left behind.