This post was authored by Shal Jacobovitz, CEO of the ACC.

Last week I had the privilege of being part of a keynote discussion at a U.S. News “Hospital of Tomorrow” event around the topic of “Working Together Toward Solutions.”

Up until recently, the U.S. health care system has been largely defined by individual constituencies, working separately and rarely teaming up. However, with the advent of health reform, collaboration among diverse stakeholders, such as payers, hospitals, medical specialty societies, consumer companies, industry, patients and others, is increasingly front and center.

The panel, which included me, Peter Slavin, MD, president of Massachusetts General Hospital, Michael Robinson, general manager in the U.S. Health and Life Sciences division at Microsoft, and Len Nichols, PhD, director of the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics at George Mason University, discussed many of the same questions the College is asking as part of the strategic planning process.

• What kinds of initiatives are effective in helping hospitals and practices move from a system that reimburses based on volume to one focused on achieving good outcomes for the patient?
• Should we be looking at creative ways to partner up with established community-based groups around prevention and wellness efforts and/or facilitate patient adherence to treatments?
• Are there opportunities to partner with hospitals, payers, other medical specialty societies and/or pharmaceutical companies to harness data to improve outcomes and reduce costs?
• What are the potential risks or challenges associated with these partnerships?

On a broad level, I think it’s safe to say that all the panelists agreed the economic and political changes are forcing the medical community to rethink the way it provides care and does business, and that working together on solutions is not only desired, but necessary. It was pointed out that if done correctly, a diverse group of stakeholders working together can best leverage their individual strengths and open doors to new ideas that drive innovation.

I can’t agree more, which is why the College’s leaders and I are working hard to incorporate the need for effective and transparent partnerships into the strategic planning process – particularly as these partnerships relate to meaningful use of data, purposeful education and the transformation of care to meet the triple aim of improved outcomes, better quality and lower costs across patient populations.  As we move forward, I am excited and energized by the opportunities for all of us to realize new relationships and leverage the respective strengths that different parties can bring to the table – all with the goal of improving heart health. While new partnerships are not without their own challenges, I believe the rewards far outweigh the risks in the new health care era. Let’s get creative!

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