Last week four of our Tuck Chiropractic Doctors participated in the Virginia Health Care Conference that was centered on the future of healthcare. The theme was a timely and pertinent one, and one that Dr. Tuck, Dr. LaBarbera, Dr. Rathmann and Dr. Matthis were all excited about: “Transformation in the Health Care Industry: Accelerating Value and Innovation.” The perception and outlook on healthcare is often laced with pessimism and discouragement. This conference did an excellent job highlighting the promise and progress on the horizon.

It was an honor for our team to be part of this pivotal healthcare conference and to join with about 750 other health care professionals to discuss trends, problems, solutions, and the vision for our industry. We heard from many peers as well as industry leaders like Nancy Agee, the CEO of Carilion Clinic, Peter Bernard the CEO of Bon Secours, Knox Singleton the CEO of Inova Health System, Pamela Sutton-Wallace the CEO of UVA Medical Center, and Michael Dudley, the President of Optima Health and a Senior Vice President of Sentara Healthcare.

One of the key speakers at the event, Jeff Bauer, a health care futurist and medical economist, brought up many great points about the direction of health care and the changes he expects within the health care industry. From within his talk there were two overarching themes that really resonated with our team:

• The use of patient-centered teams as a best-practices model,
• A revolution in biosciences that will shift the practice of medicine from acute care treatments to disease management

We are thrilled that the direction of health care is moving towards a more patient centered team approach rather than siloed care. The human body is incredibly complex and all the systems work together, requiring comprehensive solutions when a problem arises. We know that our chiropractic treatments are one critical component of patient care when someone is suffering from lower back pain, for example. We also know that it is necessary to understand the context of their pain, the other systems that are impacted, and to partner with other specialists or primary care physicians as necessary. Our preferred treatment style for our patients has always been a patient-centered, team approach and to know that all of health care is trending in that direction is incredible news. Dr. Tuck commented, “It was very refreshing to see experts in healthcare speaking our language in terms of collaboration for the benefit of the patient.”

We were also encouraged to hear that as medicine is revolutionized by innovation and new discoveries, the approach to medical treatment will become one focused on long-term management rather than short-term temporary solutions. We know that chiropractic treatment can be a solution to a temporary problem but at its best and at its core it is a way to consistently manage our patient’s conditions without chronic use of medication and without surgery. Chiropractic care is able to address the “here and now” of the patient’s problem but also has the ability to treat beyond the immediacy. We know that this model is the best for our patients and ensures the best possible outcome for them. We are highly encouraged that this approach is predicted to become the new normative treatment for all of medicine, not just chiropractic.

As we left this conference and drove back to our home in Southwest Virginia we were left feeling encouraged, excited, and optimistic about the direction healthcare is headed. We had a great ride home–Dr. Matthis was up to his goofy antics again–but amongst the laughter and down time we also were able to discuss what the future of healthcare is going to look like for our patients. Dr. Tuck emphasized, “The future of healthcare and the way chiropractic care is delivered will be centered around the patient.  We will continue to gauge our success with performance measurements like great patient outcomes and great patient satisfaction.” To put it succinctly: we will continue our goal and mission of making a positive impact on every life we touch.