The No. 2 official at the Department of Health and Human Services said the Trump administration isn’t afraid of causing “disruption” in the healthcare system in order to make care better.
“If we need disruption to deliver the care Americans deserve, then disruption is on the way,” Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan said at a Thursday conference hosted by Academy Health.
Hargan rolled out various initiatives by the federal government involving healthcare technology, saying that healthcare had become “too expensive, too inaccessible — and we face too many stubborn public health problems, like chronic disease and substance abuse.”
He announced that the administration will be creating a “Blue Button 2.0” program under Medicare to allow beneficiaries to connect their data to apps that are run by private developers. The system allows beneficiaries to see what medical procedures were billed during doctor or hospital visits, and currently can be downloaded only by PDF.
HHS also has proposed that hospitals publicly post their list prices for various medical procedures and ways to make electronic medical records better for patients so they can review and use their health information, Hargan noted.
He told attendees that the changes would require a federal role that would “make existing players uncomfortable” but stressed that the Trump administration supported innovation in the private sector.
The administration has said moving to value-based care, meaning a system that focused on making patients healthier, is one of the top priorities for the health agency.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar was originally scheduled to appear at the conference but spent a couple of nights in the hospital last week after facing an infection from diverticulitis.
Hargan spoke on behalf of his boss, saying, “In laying out his vision for value-based care, Secretary Azar has put it this way: When it comes to American healthcare, change is possible, change is necessary, and change is coming.”
