Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

The US health care system is the most costly in the world, accounting for 17% of the gross domestic product with estimates that percentage will grow to nearly 20% by 2020. At the same time, countries with health systems that out-perform the US are also under pressure to derive greater value for the resources devoted to their health care systems. Aging populations and increased longevity, coupled with chronic health problems, have become a global challenge, putting new demands on medical and social services. The Triple Aim is a framework developed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement that describes an approach to optimizing health system performance. It is IHIs belief that new designs must be developed to simultaneously pursue three dimensions, which we call the Triple Aim: 1. Improving the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction) 2. Improving society population health 3. Reducing the per capita cost of health care This model has been adopted by Medicaid nationally and is being operationalized in the laboratories of the states. Vermont is a small state known for its progressive ethos; as such, it is an excellent environment to try to achieve the Triple Aim. The MHISSION System is currently one of the catalysts being used in Vermont to bring health care reform across the multiple silos of government.

Biography

Thomas Simpatico is a psychiatrist who trained at the University of Chicago and specializes in health care systems, public policy, serious mental illness, and substance abuse services. He is Research Professor & Director of the Division for Integrated Health & Human Services at the University of Vermont Center for Clinical & Translational Science and Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Division of Public Psychiatry at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He receives over $2 million in annual funding from the Veterans Administration for projects designed to connect veterans and their families with health care and human services. Through UVM he currently serves as Chief Medical Officer for the Department of Vermont Health Access (the Vermont Medicaid Authority), which oversees $1.6 billion in health care funding annually. In that role he is part of the leadership team overseeing Vermont?s ?hub and spoke? system for opiate replacement therapy