What the U.S. can learn from the U.K. about making a difference: a meeting of U.S. and U.K. colleagues reminded me of the many ways we as healthcare financial managers currently make a difference. It also highlighted the important work yet to be accomplished

Healthcare Financial Management, Sept, 2007 by Mary Beth Briscoe

In August, representatives of HFMA in the U.S. and U.K. met for the U.S./U.K. Exchange--an annual event that began formally in 1981. The Exchange, which took place in Paris, was an opportunity for healthcare financial managers from both sides of the Atlantic to learn from one another's healthcare systems and financial management practices, and to draw strength from each other's commitment to our professions.

Although I expected to learn mostly about the differences between the U.S. healthcare system and that of the U.K. and Western EU countries, I was struck by the numerous similarities.

The countries are all struggling with the cost of health care. The U.S. spends the most, but each system is growing faster than the underlying economies can sustain. Most of the health systems are striving to better engage consumers in their health and healthcare decisions. In most of the countries, the payment system is used to encourage safe, high-quality, and effective service and value for money spent. Most of the countries also use a DRG-type system for inpatient services and are striving to ensure effective linkage between payment, acuity, and quality.

Among the many similarities, there is one major distinction between the U.S. and Western EU countries: The U.S. does not provide universal healthcare coverage. Spending time with my U.K. counterparts reminded me how much work is left to do in providing healthcare coverage for all Americans. I doubt that the U.S. ever will adopt a European-style single-payer system for health care; however, the goal of universal coverage is critical to pursue. The accomplishment of this goal will undoubtedly lead us through a maze of numerous stakeholders and varying agendas.

Attending this event affirmed and increased my pride in the actions taken by U.S. healthcare financial managers to positively contribute to healthcare delivery. For many years, the U.S. healthcare system has focused on collecting financial and other data, analyzing the data, and utilizing the resulting information to make appropriate decisions. Perhaps we healthcare financial managers are so busy pushing ourselves to become even more sophisticated in our data analysis and decision making that we may take for granted the excellence of our current performance. Take pride in your expertise, which allows our healthcare systems to make the most efficient use of our limited resources to care for patients.

One way that HFMA is contributing to healthcare reform is to build consensus around principles and elements of a better payment system. In addition, you have an opportunity every day to find creative strategies and tactics for your organizations to better serve patients who are uninsured or underinsured and to make your healthcare financial practices more transparent and consumer-friendly. Visit the PATIENT FRIENDLY BILLING[R] project web site at www.patientfriendlybilling.org to find out more about the steps you can take today to make a difference in the health care of your communities.

Mary Beth Briscoe

FHFMA, CPA

Chairman, HFMA