The opportunities and challenges of health care reform began to make their presence known to eastern North Carolina health care professionals even before the Affordable Care Act became law.

Delivering higher-quality health outcomes in a more efficient and cost-effective way will require nearly a complete transformation from a conveyor belt of services to an integrated system of stakeholder responsibilities, measured outcomes and shared accountability, the experts said.

Those who deliver health care must be trained for the new models being invented along the way, and those who train them also must invent new models for doing that, according to local leaders in medical and health education.

For the complete article, please pick up a copy of The Daily Reflector. Current home delivery and electronic edition subscribers may log in to access this article at no charge. To become a subscriber, please click here or contact Customer Service at (252) 329-9505.