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Biosecurity News in Brief
IOM Recommends that HHS Define a 21st Century Vision to Meet U.S. Healthcare ChallengesBy Crystal Franco, December 22, 2008On December 12, 2008, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report titled HHS in the 21st Century: Charting a New Course for a Healthier America, which evaluates the department’s ability to meet both continued and emerging health challenges faced by the U.S.; the evaluation was prompted by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform. The IOM concluded that, while HHS has many important programs in place to improve health and protect the U.S. against disease, there are also many obstacles affecting the department’s ability to carry out its responsibilities, mission, and goals.1 Major obstacles identified in the report include: the rising cost of healthcare and insurance; an ever expanding list of healthcare issues that HHS is responsible for; difficulty retaining quality government employees; divergence of missions and limited communication among agencies and offices within the department; divergence of missions and limited communication among HHS and other departments; and difficulties in forging partnerships with the private sector, among other obstacles. The IOM recommends that in order for HHS to meet the nation’s twenty-first century healthcare challenges, the department must be more “optimally organized” and work more closely with Congress and other federal agencies and departments. IOM cautions that HHS should not undertake a reorganization of the entire department, but rather should focus on revitalizing the department through the following processes:
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