I recently heard a criticism that all health care matters, and therefore naming the nonprofit Health Care That Matters, Inc. implies that some health care does not matter.  The criticism misses the point of the mission of Health Care That Matters, which is to recognize the work being done by numerous people and organizations to move the dial on health outcomes and population health.  Unfortunately, there are instances in our health system, which generally pays for volume, where providers deliver health care services that do not matter to a person's overall health.

Take for example the alleged overdiagnosis of ADHD in children.  A New York Times article from 2013 explored this issue:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/health/the-selling-of-attention-deficit-disorder.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.  One aspect of the article suggests that pharmaceutical companies and some groups with ties to those companies financially benefit as more people are diagnosed with ADHD.  This makes perfect economic sense because as the number of consumers increase, the higher the demand in the products that will satisfy the consumers' needs.  In this case, the products are drugs to regulate ADHD symptoms.  This issue of creating demand in health care so that revenues can increase occurs in many other facets of the health system, including long-term care, surgical care, and laboratory tests to name a few.  Overutilization in health care is one of the areas that the government seeks to combat through its auditing and enforcement mechanisms.

Health Care That Matters, Inc. seeks to remind people that really good, meaningful health care programs exist.  These programs exist for the primary purpose of improving the health of a population.  The programs may often be underfunded, but they try to address underlying issues that may be causing or exacerbating the health problem, such as the social and physical environment.  The programs may be looking at disparities in care between racial or ethnic groups, or just trying to create a bridge of understanding between provider and patient.  Health Care That Matters, Inc. aims to highlight these programs and encourage others to learn from them and perhaps implement similar programs in their own community.  If you know of any programs that deserve such recognition, please let us know at www.healthcarethatmatters.org.