Relentless Health Value

This episode is a master class in raising health outcomes at lower costs from an award-winning health care system in … Alaska?! Who knew? In fact, I learned about the work of the Southcentral Foundation and the Nuka System of Care only because I happen to listen to Swedish health care podcasts and heard about them on one of those shows. Color me surprised when the interview suddenly switched to English and the guest was from Alaska. Here’s the short version of what’s happening with the Nuka System of Care, which serves Alaska Native and American Indian people. They have gone as close to the Triple Aim as I’ve seen in this country. Health outcomes are superior at costs about half the average. Patients—or, as they call them, customer owners—are happy. So are clinicians. How this was achieved (spoiler alert here) was not through incrementally trying to jigger the earlier and pretty much failing model of health care delivery that had been going on in Alaska for Alaska Natives at that time. No can do! The Nuka Sys