President ’ s Report
Peter Berryman | ATMS President
More changes are coming ! Yes , I know that the only constant is change and that change is constant , but this year in particular you can expect a noticeable shift in the metaphor of health care , from “ the doctor knows best ” to “ I am the expert on my own body ”. There will be a greater move towards prevention of disease , and health care wellness for the benefit of all – the health care consumer , the private health insurer , and the public service , through sharpening the focus on placing a fence at the top of the hill rather than an ambulance at the bottom .
This shift in the power balance among health care stakeholders will result in the increased empowerment of consumers : it will move the narrative from “ the doctor will see you now ”, to “ I am taking charge of my own health ”. The focus will be more on ensuring that consumers stay well , and , if they do become ill , that they remain in charge and responsible for themselves .
Health insurers will also change their narrative , from “ we cover your health insurance ”, to “ we can co-create a healthier you ”. In Australia , we now have a new national policy for consumer empowerment with the National Disability Insurance Scheme ( NDIS ). In this “ new ” model , the consumer is at the centre of this Scheme , and they can decide what care they want ; they can order it when they want it , and they can have all this care funded - facilitated by modern technology .
The health care system will become more like health coaching , focusing on assisting the consumer , with a general practitioner becoming more like a “ gate keeper ”, advising the consumer about their multiple choices , including directing consumers to recognised safe and competent natural medicine practitioners . This change will continue to be disruptive - no longer the predictable , continuous , and linear health care system that we are familiar with from the past .
So beware , discontinuity will become the new normal . The expectation that further changes in health care will be led by policy makers is less likely , as innovations are more likely to disrupt the current systems , exploring alternative solutions and questioning the existing assumptions . Unfortunately , the financial influence of global corporations that fund political lobbying groups has been associated with unethical practices in the development of policies - ones that may not serve the consumer as much as the corporation .
One existing assumption to be challenged is the dominance of a universal health care system that Australia has had since it was created by the Whitlam government in 1975 , abolished in 1981 by the Fraser government , and reinstated in 1984 by the Hawke government . With spiralling costs , this will become so financially unsustainable that there will be more movement towards a larger component of health care becoming privatised . The result will be a growth in a hybrid model of joint public and private service providers , giving consumers more meaningful solutions for their primary health care needs . The flipside of this is the possibility that only the wealthy can afford to be healthy , and that Australians of lower income become increasingly vulnerable to disease . Therefore , not only will future pandemics pose a risk to the vulnerable poor , but this economic inequality may also result in infections spreading to the global community .
Another assumption to be challenged will be the provision of alternatives to traditional care models , such as the development of chronic disease management through communitybased collaborative care models , health hubs and group consultations . Even the necessity of hospitalisations could be challenged by the greater support of home care services . New technologies will abound to facilitate these changes , such as wearables , apps , blockchain , the internet of things , 3D printing , nanotechnology ( like internal health surveillance by nanorobots ), genome editing , transhuman enhancements , and the possibility , within twenty years , of equal rights for humans and robots .
Along with these “ hard ” external technologies there will be “ soft ” changes in the inner world of technology which will enhance well-being and increase resource efficiency , such as yoga and meditation . For example , regular meditators can expect to experience an 87 % decrease in heart disease ,
a 55.4 % decrease in tumours ,
a 50.2 % decrease in hospitalisations ,
a 43 % decrease in hospital resources used , a 30.6 % decrease in mental disorders , and a 30.4 % decrease in infectious diseases1 .
The current health care model is in transition . Armed with foresight , we can assist in creating an alternative future that returns natural medicine practitioners to their rightful place in the medical marketplace .
Always in your service …
Peter Berryman President
1 Van der Laan L , Yap J . Foresight & Strategy in the Asia Pacific Region . Management for Professionals . 2016 . in the Asia Pacific Region . Management for Professionals . 2016 .
JATMS | Autumn 2023 | 5