Originally Published: October 29, 2013 11:58 AMModified: October 29, 2013 3:16 PM

Maureen Bisognano

A national leader in improving health care called for a more expansive and holistic approach to patient care during her keynote address at Crain's 5th Annual Health Care Leadership Summit today at the San Marino Club in Troy.

Maureen Bisognano, CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, is a major proponent of health care organizations hospitals, physician groups and insurers that develop innovative programs to improve the health of populations they serve, enhance patient care experiences and also reduce per capita costs. Her book, Pursuing the Triple Aim, explores these topics.

"We need to move outside of the walls of hospitals" to coordinate care for people in their homes and other health care settings, said Bisognano, adding that engaging patients in their own care should be a key goal for the health care delivery system.

At a recent Institute of Medicine panel discussion, Bisognano said the value of patient engagement was seen as "the next biggest blockbuster drug."

Under the current health care delivery system, Bisognano said patients visit their primary care doctors for a variety of reasons to help manage high cholesterol or because their knee hurts. For patients with more serious chronic diseases, patients spend more than 5,000 hours each year taking care of themselves, and only a fraction of that time is spent talking with or visiting their providers.

"Doctors (should say) patients are the team captain and the rest of you are coaches," Bisognano said. "We need to optimize (physician) visits, but we also need to engage" doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other providers in a coordinated team approach.

"When we do that, we are really getting at the triple aim," she said.

For example, some pharmacists and health care organizations are using iPads or other wireless video devices to communicate with patients in real time. This telemedicine approach that can apply for many health care settings can help patients understand their medications, answer questions and identify potential drug interactions and other problems.

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Health care visionary calls for telemedicine, coordinated patient care during Crain's summit in Troy