HFMA’s Vitalic Health launches the Vitals Tracker to measure the health of the industry

The Healthcare Financial Management Association’s Vitalic Health today released the U.S. Vitals Tracker, a first-of-its-kind tool that measures the health of U.S. healthcare.

Vitalic Health – powered by HFMA – is designed to bring together healthcare stakeholders to address issues negatively impacting affordability, health outcomes and industry financial sustainability. The Vitals Tracker scores each year dating back to 1997 – the last year of a federal budget surplus – based on a 100-point scale.

The Vitals Tracker score for 2023 – the last fully measurable year – was 35.9 out of 100. The only year that was worse was 2020, the first year of the pandemic. The 100-point scale is divided into five classes, including optimal health and affordability, followed by good, fair, serious and critical conditions. The current score places the system in serious condition.

“The Vitals Tracker clearly shows healthcare has a relentless decline in affordability,” said HFMA President and CEO C. Ann Jordan. “And despite getting more expensive, healthcare has an affordability paradox where funneling more money into our healthcare is not resulting in improved health.”

The Vitals Tracker provides a direct reflection of the healthcare industry and the health of our nation from a neutral organization while establishing context for a national conversation and meaningful actions to come.

“I’m seeing healthcare finance professionals stepping up in remarkable ways, as well as a growing appetite for true collaboration as people from all corners of healthcare are realizing the urgency of the affordability issue,” Jordan said. “And it’s time to get serious about affordability.”

Vitalic Health will launch a series of swarm studies this year designed to identify and solve the most difficult issues driving costs, including administrative complexities. In addition, a payment model consortium of health systems, payers, employers, technology companies and more is being assembled to design, test and scale new payment models.

“In the near term, success means the Vitals Tracker becomes the standard reference for healthcare performance,” said Vitalic Health Executive Director Lisa Eyer. “Ultimately, success means a healthier healthcare industry and a healthier nation.”

And Jordan said: “The public demand for a better and more affordable healthcare system is growing louder. Vitalic Health is here to meet the moment.”

To learn more, visit Vitalic Health.