AI Won’t Save Healthcare Any More Than Messi Could Save Argentina
The World Cup Finals and Healthcare
I watched the World Cup finals between Spain and Argentina with great anticipation. Having learned to play the game in the Netherlands as a teenager and going on to play at a fairly high level back in the United States, it is my favorite sport. This morning after recalling the game, it hit me like a ton of bricks. The two teams revealed what health care is, and what it could be.
One team, Argentina represented how health care is today. It is disjointed, hoping for the opportunity to move upstream, to go forward and perhaps score a goal. They depended upon one great thing. In healthcare over time our ONE GREAT THING has changed; health records, value-based care, population health, and now AI. In the World Cup Argentina had Lionel Messi. Enough said.
But even with all his greatness, the disjointed system waited for an opportunity to perhaps score, sat back rarely moving forward, and with Messi unable to even get the ball, Argentina couldn’t create a single shot during the entire game.
At the same time, Spain played a completely different game. While they have some great players, they played a deliberate, organized game featuring all their players. The ball moved freely around the system forward and back, side to side across the pitch. They always appeared to have a pass. They were so smooth. They moved forward, upstream because that’s where the opportunity is; and they blistered the goal with shots. The only thing that kept Argentina in the game was the incredible play of their keeper. It was clear that Spain was the better team throughout the game. Their system was better.
We can look to this match as a clear example of what we have in healthcare and what could be. A system that is better organized, one that distributes throughout (think funding and utilization), an approach that recognizes and maximizes the various skills and effort. A system that moves upstream towards the goal versus sitting back hoping for that one great thing to finally create the win.
Who was I rooting for? Well, I was rooting for Argentina and Messi of course, but I clearly was rooting for HOPE for the outcome instead of recognizing the truth about what is and what could be, using a wish instead of my brain.
Ah the dopamine hit me again.
Thanks to AI for the image, the post.. well its mine.