http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/healthcare/summit-panel-payment-reform-requires-sustained-commitment-to-change?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTmpaall6QmtNV0k0WkRRNCIsInQiOiIrZkVQTkVnTk1kdTlIWU9ZSmluUDhHTXI0bmY1V2VWN1NtZE9uRVlOZjRzWUM4eTZ4bFJmRmd6U3BBMks5bDl5cmVpdjRITCs5RlNoa1ZJQktQXC94TE9NWkpwbFV4dlVWaGwzMlpUOHZPTkJzSTVkamdjOHFEREIrcEpqVEU0T2kifQ%3D%3D

So said a panel of experts convened by the Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University Alliance for Healthcare.

The panel attended last week’s Health Care Payment Reform Summit, and met with the press on Saturday to discuss their findings. The biggest takeaway: There must be a sustained culture change in order for payment reforms to take hold.

“Healthcare historically has been a status quo model—improve to a certain point and stay there,” George Halvorson, chair and CEO of the Institute for Intergroup Understanding, told reporters. “The model of the future needs to be better.”

Halvorson said that the industry as a whole must embrace data and computer systems that can make care better and track where improvements are most needed. This extends to payment reform, he said, as a model needs to be established that encourages innovation and consistent improvement.

One particular area of focus is to look at ways to reduce costs and improve care for the most complex patients. Elliott S. Fisher, M.D, director of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, said that the top 5% of the sickest patients incur the most costs and use the most healthcare resources. These patients often have needs outside of the hospital’s control that can contribute to their situations, like homelessness or food insecurity, he said.

The panelists agreed that an effective solution is for providers to better identify patients with complex conditions and unmet socioeconomic needs. Therefore, Fisher said, it’s important that adequate data is gathered for providers to improve care for patients with complex conditions.