When Will We Finally Cross the Quality Chasm?
"The American health care delivery system is in need of fundamental change"
Here is a quote from Crossing the Quality Chasm from the National Academy of Medicine from 21 years ago. “Americans should be able to count on receiving care that meets their needs and is based on the best scientific knowledge. Yet there is strong evidence that this frequently is not the case.1 Crucial reports from disciplined review bodies document the scale and gravity of the problems. Quality problems are everywhere, affecting many patients. Between the health care we have and the care we could have lies not just a gap, but a chasm.” Almost nothing has changed. We spend twice as much as other developed countries for low-value care that does not meet our needs. What do you think? How can we make progress?
Well, Bill. The only way I know how is to start my own personal journey to create Multifunction Cardiogram Technology Platform to advance our knowledge and diagnostic performance.
One has to ask why we stopped on the near bank and never crossed the quality chasm. During the ensuing decades, the chasm has only widened and our resolve narrowed. Deming used to say something like “God may bring his opinion, all others bring data.” But we stopped caring about data, being completely overtaken by the desire to make money. And we now have a culture that doesn’t know how to even begin the task of holding doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies accountable for the quality of care they practice and deliver. Corrupt systems don’t give a damn about quality.