The looming healthcare crisis is due more to the successes than the failures of the healthcare system, according to a new study by The Forbes Group, a Virginia-based research
and consulting firm. The focus of American healthcare has been short-term, corrective treatment. This approach has created a population that now requires long-term lifestyle
management, according to the report. The current healthcare system and social infrastructure are not designed to cost effectively deliver that kind of care to those kinds of
patients.
"The recognition that the home and workplace are true components of healthcare (and not just places one returns to after receiving care) redefines what a healthcare product can
be," said Richard O'Sullivan, senior VP of The Forbes Group. "Society needs to consider factors that not only contribute to a person's health but that may enhance the environment
in which healthcare is delivered."
(Bruce Butterfield, President and CEO of The Forbes Group, 703/691-2440, http://www.forbesgroup.com)