HSC’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine to host symposium on ‘Creating Change in Health Care Delivery’
Americans have soured on the U.S. health care system, according to a Gallup poll taken earlier this year. Most of those surveyed rate health care quality as subpar, including 31% saying it is “only fair” and 21% — a new high — calling it “poor.” The U.S. ranked nearly last compared with other wealthy countries for health care, specifically in areas of access to care, administrative efficiency and health care outcomes.
That is one of many reasons why The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine is hosting a free, public symposium on “Creating Change in Health Care Delivery” from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Monday.
The event will feature a robust panel discussion from national and local leaders across the entire health care system as they talk about how osteopathic medicine, whole health, patient safety, health systems sciences, health policy, innovation and entrepreneurship, and a host of other innovative ideas can help spur tangible changes in the U.S. health care system.
The event will be hosted on campus in Room 109-111 of the Medical Education & Training Building, 1000 Montgomery St., with a livestream option available upon registration. The event is part of HSC’s 2023 Health Care Workforce & Education series. Space is limited.
“Our health care system needs real change, and what the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine is doing can be a role model for such change,” said Dr. Charles Taylor, HSC provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “We are so honored to have some of the best and most recognized professionals in their field be a part of the important discussion that can help bring about the change that is needed in our health care system.”
The panel discussions will be hosted and moderated by Dr. Frank Filipetto, dean of the HSC Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. The panelists will include Dr. TeCora Ballom, DO, MPH, MHSI, U.S. Assistant Surgeon General, Rear Admiral, U.S. Public Health Service; Dr. Dzung Le, DO, clinical director, Whole Health section, VA North Texas Health Care System; Patricia McGaffigan, RN, MS, CPPS, vice president, Institute for Healthcare Improvement; Ankit Sanghavi, executive director, Texas Health Institute; Dr. Bret Burton, MD, MBA, chief medical officer, Medical City Fort Worth; and Dr. David Mason, DO, MBA, CPPS, president, Texas American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians; chair, Texas Medical Foundation Health Quality Institute Board of Trustees; and assistant dean, Osteopathic Clinical Education, HSC Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“I am extremely excited to be hosting these panelists who bring a wide array of expertise in so many facets of our health care system,” Filipetto said. “We are going to be the ones who create change in our health care delivery model, and we want TCOM students to be the leaders of this change.”
The discussion will highlight some of the initiatives being taken by HSC and TCOM to address the problems facing physicians in the form of marketable skills as they enter the workforce.
According to the World Health Organization, a 2022 comparison of National Health Systems found the U.S. had the second-lowest life expectancy among 17 wealthy countries.
The U.S. spent nearly $4.3 trillion on health care in 2021, and a recent study published by the National Institutes of Health found that nearly half (approximately 45% or 133 million) of all Americans suffer from at least one chronic disease — and the number is growing.
“We have to address these issues because the system is not getting better,” Filipetto said. “Real fundamental change can happen with the bold and innovative ideas that so many of these panelists have been using. We must teach and give our students the tools necessary to think outside of the box and be problem-solvers and innovators when they enter the workforce. That’s how real change will come to the system.”
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