Chicago, IL, February 9, 2021 – The Health Care Council of Chicago (HC3), a member-led organization creating uncommon alignment to improve the health and vitality of Chicago, today released its 2019-2020 “State of Chicago Health Care” report. The report captures major health-related developments that have transpired across the country, state of Illinois, and city of Chicago, incorporating key data and insights that illustrate the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Last year, there was an abundance of weak signals providing shreds of evidence for what tomorrow’s world holds,” said David Smith,co-founder of HC3. “As we embark on 2021, we have an opportunity to head those signals and apply lessons learned to ensure much-needed changes in the health care industry continue.”
The “State of Chicago Health Care” report identifies trends in seven key areas – health and social determinants, coverage and utilization, government’s role, mergers and acquisition, the digital revolution, alternative payment models and value-based care, and the health care workforce – and provides insight into how each might play out in 2021. During an event today, health care experts discussed further opportunities for change and innovation in each of these areas in 2021. Participants included:
Steven Collens, CEO, MATTER and Co-Founder, HC3
David Smith, Founder & CEO, Third Horizon Strategies and Co-Founder, HC3
Chris Booker, Partner, Frist Cressey Ventures
Ali Khan, MD, MPP, Executive Medical Director, Oak Street Health
Fernando De Maio, PhD Director, Health Equity Research and Data Use, Center for Health Equity, American Medical Association
Cheryl Whitaker, MD, President, Institute of Medicine Chicago
Steven Collens kicked-off the event by providing an overview of 2020. “One silver lining among a plethora of awful moments of 2020 is that health care innovation – which has always been important to some of us – is now very obviously and evidently critical to all of us,” said Steven Collens. “We also learned that even the most complicated and bureaucratic health systems can make decisions quickly when need be, and we have seen that health inequality is not something that anyone can deny any more as one of the defining features of our health care system.”
David Smith then provided an overview of the aforementioned key areas and teed-up a conversation with leading health care experts from the Chicago area. Each of the four health experts shared the sentiment that thinking outside the box is key to driving innovation and addressing health inequities.
Ali Khan posed the question, “Are we going to all pivot, or will our systems retrench in terms of doing what they have always done before?” Khan also suggested that public-private partnerships can work when they are “well-structure, deliberate, and nimble” and that going forward, health care stakeholders need to consider how to leverage different actors that what we have historically leveraged toward centering on the common good.
Dr. Cheryl Whitaker stated, “Perhaps some of the transformation that will happen in the next decade includes solutioning where the free market fails.”
About the Health Care Council of Chicago (HC3)
The Health Care Council of Chicago (HC3) is Chicago’s nationally recognized health care community in action. The organization harnesses the collective intelligence and resources of Chicago’s health care leaders to drive meaningful change and positively influence the conditions that impact the health of the area’s communities. The Health Care Council of Chicago is an initiative managed by Third Horizon Strategies. Visit www.HC3.health for more information.
Press Contact: Meghan Phillipp at Meghan@HC3.Health