Also recognized is the need to change incentives in a way that strengthens partnerships between physicians, their patients and employers, and which link their success to mutual goals around health and wellness.  

To create incentives for physicians to encourage behavioral changes in their patients, 94 percent of U.S.  health leaders and 84 percent of global health leaders surveyed agreed that compensation to hospitals, physicians and other providers should be based on quality health outcomes.86 percent of U.S. health leaders and 60 percent of global health leaders surveyed said there need to be more incentives for patients to be compliant with their medications.Health leaders also increasingly understand that behavioral change depends on partnerships with private industry. When PwC surveyed global health leaders about outside influences that were having a positive or negative effect on population health, the most negative response was to grocery stores and supermarkets. As obesity rates grow across the globe, look for more public-private partnerships aimed at influencing consumer behavior in what they eat.

A Toolkit for Customizing the Consumer Experience

In its report, PwC outlines five areas where health systems can customize care and better engage individuals in managing their health.

Coordinated care teams: Consumers want coordinated care. Integrated care networks that share information, care and accountability for patient outcomes are likely to become models for the future.Fluent navigators: Individuals lack the knowledge and skills they need to navigate the health system and understand their choices. In a patient-centered health system, there will be a growing need for consumer advocates beyond friends and family. PricewaterhouseCoopers sees the role of healthcare-fluent navigators being played by pharmacists, community workers and possibly the emergence of a new professional field much as financial planners emerged with the rise of consumer-directed investing.Patient-experience benchmarks: In a patient-centered health system, more attention will be paid to understanding and meeting consumer expectations. Many health systems already are tracking and publicly reporting on patient-centric metrics of care, such as cleanliness, wait times and physician satisfaction, allowing patients to make more informed decisions. Care-anywhere networks: The definition of access is being redefined by telehealth, wireless mobile devices, remote monitoring and new care delivery models that move care from hospitals, nursing homes and physicians' offices and into patients' homes, which increasingly are wired with networked devices.Medical proving grounds. Through collaboration and investment, some regions and other countries are positioning themselves to be medical proving grounds, or centers of excellence in medical innovation and care as a way to attract patients, researchers and providers looking for the shortest path to access and innovation.

SOURCE PricewaterhouseCoopers