Satjiv Kohli

I am a practicing Emergency Physician based out of Los Angeles. Over the past few years of clinical practice, I have developed a keen interest in the interplay of public policy and environmental factors that is leading to an epidemic of poorly prevented, managed, and treated chronic diseases. According to the CDC, chronic disease such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes account for 75% of the dollars spent on health care. To further exacerbate the problem, as these patient begin to enter the final stages of their disease trajectory, the health care system spends an exorbitant amount of money in often times futile medical over treatment. These factors are placing an unsustainable strain on the health care system and has the potential to jeopardize the financial viability of our healthcare system.

In thinking about solutions to these problems, I envision an health care system with the following characteristics:

1. Utilizes digital technology, social networks, bioinformatics, and theories of self quantification to engage the health care consumer.

2. Incentivized to improve the quality of life rather than the quantity of life.

3. Disincentivized to overprescribe or over test.

4. Progressive malpractice laws to disincentivize 'defensive medicine.'

5. Inclusive of complementary techniques of healing.