Healthcare Executive - September/October 2013 - 37

as to their expectations, which in turn develops a sense
of partnership and trust,” says Garcia Luna Martinez.
“Then, physicians may no longer feel the need to protect
themselves from litigation at the very outset of their
interactions with patients.”

U.S. comparable to Sweden’s, the U.S. could avoid
about $2 billion of the expected total of $24 billion
for these surgeries in 2015.

Without a registry, identifying variations in outcomes
and consequently creating standardized
create diSeaSe regiStrieS
practices becomes challenging at best.
Disease registries track patients
BCG’s researchers suggest the
with specific illnesses in order
fragmentation of the current
“in mexico as well as america, i
to spot trends, problems or
U.S. healthcare system poses
see a need to better educate the
efficacies with particular
significant—but not insurpopulations we serve as to their
protocols and consemountable—obstacles to
expectations, which in turn develops
quently improve treatimplementing disease rega sense of partnership and trust.
ment and lower costs
istries. The researchers
then, physicians may no longer feel
associated with a condiargue new reporting stantion. Although the U.S.
dards, outcomes metrics,
the need to protect themselves from
has a few successful regunique patient identifiers
litigation at the very outset of their
istries such as the Cystic
and motivating reporting
interactions with patients.”
Fibrosis Patient Registry—
mechanisms must be put
J. eduardo garcia luna martinez, md
which is run by the Cystic
into place through a national
Universidad de monterrey
Fibrosis Foundation—they are
framework that relies upon the
far from plentiful. “Until 2009,
support and leadership of healththe U.S. had no national policy with
care executives in every segment of
respect to EMRs,” says The
the industry.
Commonwealth Fund’s Blumenthal. “But as we
gain ground in this area with meaningful use, we will
employ pHySicianS
quickly become capable of emulating the successes overWith its dramatic economic growth, the United Arab
seas in developing national comparative databases.”
Emirates is rapidly emerging as a provider of high quality
healthcare, not only among other Gulf countries, but interSweden, a country that has been developing patient
nationally as well. As the United Arab Emirates health sysregistries for years, currently hosts almost 90 governtem matures, it looks to expand access to care and shift
ment-funded registries that cover more than 25 perfrom public to private sector providers. About six years ago,
cent of the country’s healthcare expenditures.
the Abu Dhabi government mandated employer-financed
According to a 2011 study of 13 disease registries in
health insurance for all workers—including domestic help
five countries conducted by The Boston Consulting
and farm labor. As a result, more than 98 percent of Abu
Group, the number of hip replacement surgeries perDhabi’s population is covered.
formed to repair or replace the original device
dropped 10 percent since Sweden created a hip
Ronald S. Lavater, FACHE, CEO of Corniche Hospital
replacement registry more than 20 years ago, resultin Abu Dhabi—which is managed by Johns Hopkins
ing in annual savings of $14 million. The study conMedicine International—spent 12 years of his career in
cluded that with a hip replacement registry in the
the U.S. hospital company HCA in mostly
Healthcare Executive
SEPT/OCT 2013

Healthcare Executive - September/October 2013

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