The difference between PGH and other critical illness coverage is simple: it is the quality of care that optimizes your chances of successful treatment and recovery. In fact, PGH is recognized globally as being at the leading edge of patient and results oriented health care.

In an article published in the Harvard Business Review, Michael Porter and Elizabeth Teisberg wrote, "Encouraging competition at the level of specific diseases or conditions will spread the development of the right kind of information. For instance, Preferred Global Health (PGH) helps its subscribers choose among the world-class providers and treatments it offers for the critical illnesses it covers. PGH's experience belies the argument that there is too little information available for meaningful consumer choice in health care." (Michael E. Porter and Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg, Redefining Competition in Health Care, Harvard Business Review, June 2004).

The three program components for which relevant independent studies supporting PGH mortality reduction exist are:

Other studies have also shown a significant quality impact for the other major components of the Preferred Care program, including patient involvement, best protocol control and proactive recovery plans. However, these are less quantifiable specific to the PGH program protocol, although equally important to the wellness and outcome of our patients.

1. Diagnosis Verification and Treatment Planning (DVTP)

PGH's Diagnosis Verification and Treatment Planning (DVTP) is a second opinion type of process where a top, experienced specialist reviews a patient's medical information, confirms the presence of the illness and recommends a plan for treatment. Results published in the British Medical Journal state that Harvard doctors changed the treatment plans for 90% of the patients and revised the diagnosis in 5% of the cases that were reviewed.¹

2. Treatment at High Volume Hospitals by High Volume Surgeons

PGH, as a basis for its programs, selects high volume hospitals and high volume surgeons for its patients. Patients treated by high volume surgeons at high volume hospitals in the US are 28% less likely to die than those treated in average volume hospitals by average volume surgeons.₂ Additionally, patients who undergo surgery at these high performing hospitals also have an average 8% lower risk of complications.³

3. Preventable Medical Error Reduction

A study released in Health Affairs in 2003 reveals “disturbingly high rates” of medical errors, lack of care coordination, and poor communication with their doctors. The study described a system that is fragmented and disconnected and incapable of delivering integrated care essential to an error free best practice path. The study confirms the rationale for dedicating a Personal Care Manager to each patient to make process control and integrated care more likely.⁴

The level of deaths and chronic illness resulting from preventable medical errors is likely to be similar across all of the OECD countries. A HealthGrades study from 2004 based on 37 million patients estimates the number of deaths per year in the US from 2000-2002 to be about 195,000. We have used this number and the range of the Health Affairs article to estimate the preventable medical error mortality range.⁴

Industries with complex, multi-stage systems and processes have long understood that quality controls and continual improvements increase customer satisfaction, deliver better results, and lower costs. The common saying, ‘Doing it right the first time’, is outcome effective and cost efficient. This concept can be applied more so in healthcare than anywhere else, supporting PGH’s focus on quality control.

All Preferred Care members are assigned a Personal Care Manager to advocate on their behalf. The Personal Care Manager also quality controls the entire treatment process, enhancing doctor-patient communication and greatly reducing the probability of treatment errors and unnecessary treatment.

4. Patient Involvement

PGH involves the patient at every step and assists the patient in acquiring the information required for educated decision making.⁵ The Center for Informed Decision Making at Dartmouth has estimated the impact of such involvement to be about 25% higher quality and 25% lower costs as the physicians end up doing fewer but the right things. The impact on mortality is not quantified but expected to be significant.

5. Best Protocol Control

Several studies suggest that systematic application of best protocols and systems will reduce mortality rates by about 15%-30%. PGH approved hospitals follow the same best protocols as the hospitals in these studies. For example, a hospital in Georgia, USA reorganized its patient safety initiatives to improve patient care outcomes. One year later, raw mortality decreased by 29% and severity-adjusted mortality decreased by 25.5%.⁶

6. Proactive Recovery Plans

Systematic post surgery recovery plans are critical to reduction in mortality and improved longevity. A patient can undergo a series of treatment, but cannot be returned to complete health without proper recovery. Our focus on the patient lasts after they return home post-treatment in the U.S.

¹Internet-based consultations to transfer knowledge for patients requiring specialized care: retrospective case review. BMJ 2003;326;696-666
²Higher-volume in hospitals continues to have lower risk-adjusted mortality rates compared with their lower volume counterparts. Circulation, July 28, 2003
³Top Hospitals Have 27% Lower Mortality: Annual HealthGrades Study. HealthGrades, January 27, 2009
⁴In-Hospital Deaths from medical errors at 195,000 per year, HealthGrades study finds. HealthGrades Press Release, July 2004
⁵A Perspective on the Patient's Role in Treatment Decisions. Medical Care Research and Review, Vol. 66, No. 1 suppl, 53S-74S, 2009
⁶Promoting Quality Patient Care-Reducing Inpatient Mortality. Journal of Nursing Care Quality: January/March 2007 - Volume 22 - Issue 1 - p 43-49