The Long Fix

A compelling and convincing blueprint for radically transforming America’s health care system into one that keeps people healthy—and keeps costs down.

Health care is killing our economy and, in many cases, killing us. The system is bloated and wasteful. For most individuals, the rising costs claim too much disposable income, and for most companies, they ravage the bottom line. Beyond the outrageous expense, the care is of wildly varying quality: too few miracles and far too much stress, emotional and financial. It is bad for patients, bad for doctors, and bad for business.

Physician, scientist, and health care CEO Vivian S. Lee, MD, explains the root cause: the health care system pays for services (procedures, prescriptions, tests), no matter how costly or actually useful, rather than paying to keep people healthy. Rewarding hospitals, doctors, and pharmaceutical companies for delivering better outcomes at lower costs would incentivize them to embrace common-sense business practices. Dr. Lee lays out a prescription for a less costly, more efficient, and healthier system for all.

About the Author: Vivian S. Lee, MD, has been a practicing physician, scientist, and health care administrator for more than two decades. President of Health Platforms at Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences), she divides her time between Boston, New York, and San Francisco.