Planning, Pre-Emption, Prevention Make Good Policy Prescriptions

By Suresh Kumar

My last column drew insights from international markets. This one reflects domestic realities. Within a mile of my home in Naples, FL, there are several healthcare facilities: satellite campuses of the town’s two major health systems, five pharmacies, urgent care and wellness facilities ranging from physiotherapists to chiropractors, and spas. After all, the economy of this affluent town is driven by retirees with active lifestyles. The network of diagnostic labs or imaging facilities is less robust, and just as troubling is the lack of access to specialists. An overabundance of capital-intensive infrastructure, together with a shortage of skills and service quality levels, constrains delivering timely care and controlling healthcare costs.