Editor's note: This article has been updated with the correct spelling of Dr. Esmaeil Porsa's name.
The Greater Houston Partnership presented a forum April 11 at the Royal Sonesta, consisting of medical professionals in the Houston region to discuss the future of health care in America.
The panel consisted of Dr. Juliet Breeze, CEO of Next Level Medical; Dr. David Callender, president and CEO of Memorial Hermann; Dr. Tony Lin, chair of the board and managing director for Kelsey-Seybold Clinics; and Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, president and CEO of Harris Health System. The panel was moderated by Bob Harvey, president and CEO of Greater Houston Partnership.
Panelists discussed how their practices are looking to the future of health care as the region begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, he believes the health care field will never turn fully virtual, but the medical field will never go back to a completely in-person format. Boom said an issue facing the health care world is not the quality of care provided but the access to quality care.
“We have the most incredible system of health care if you’re sick and if you can access it,” Boom said during his speech.
During the panel, multiple conversations regarding access were centered around the need to pursue technology in health care. Callender said in Houston a major problem is people within the community do not trust the health care professionals. He said the population feels they are at a disadvantage in the health care system, so medical professionals need to promote trust by listening, engaging and acting.
“We need to get outside of the hospitals and into the neighborhoods on our own and with partners,” Callender said during the panel. “Access to food ... good transportation, these social determinants that truly stand in the way of accessing good help. ... We can deliver great health care, but clearly there’s more to it than that.”
