Top 4 Ways Healthcare Revolution Like Industrial Revolution--See the Future by Looking at the Past

This video provides an in-depth exploration of the "healthcare revolution" by drawing compelling parallels with the Industrial Revolution, aiming to contextualize current industry challenges and predict future resolutions. Dr. Eric Bricker, the speaker, posits that the true healthcare revolution, specifically the "healthcare treatment revolution," began in 1928 with the discovery of penicillin, marking a pivotal shift from an era of diagnosis without effective treatment to one where medical interventions could genuinely save lives. He highlights the slow adoption of critical advancements like blood banks (1937) and defibrillators (1957), emphasizing that technological change in healthcare has a long and often delayed societal and regulatory impact.

The core of the presentation lies in identifying four key parallels between the Industrial Revolution (roughly 1760-1914) and the ongoing healthcare revolution (1928-present). First, the consolidation of "trusts" like Standard Oil finds its modern equivalent in the massive consolidation seen among insurance carriers, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and large hospital systems. Second, the political corruption and influence of entities like Tammany Hall during the industrial era are mirrored by the "regulatory capture" and lobbying efforts of powerful healthcare organizations such as the American Hospital Association (AHA), American Medical Association (AMA), and America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).

Third, the unsafe working conditions prevalent in industrial factories are analogized to the contemporary issue of physician burnout, which Dr. Bricker argues creates a "mentally unsafe" environment leading to higher rates of suicide among healthcare professionals. Finally, the "dangerous products" exposed by Upton Sinclair's novel "The Jungle," which detailed unsafe meatpacking practices, are likened to the "unsafe product" of healthcare itself, specifically medical errors. The speaker underscores that just as technological changes came first in the Industrial Revolution, followed much later by social reforms, the healthcare revolution is still in its reformative stages, estimated to be about two-thirds complete.

Dr. Bricker then extrapolates from the resolutions of the Industrial Revolution to forecast potential future changes in healthcare. He suggests that federal breakups of consolidated trusts, increased investigations leading to civil and criminal lawsuits with associated jail time for political corruption, and additional regulations for workplace safety (similar to child labor laws or fire codes) will be necessary. Furthermore, he anticipates that public outcry, fueled by modern-day investigative journalism, will be a crucial catalyst for forcing organizational change. His ultimate call to action is not to invent new solutions, but to accelerate the existing "playbook" by repeatedly exposing the issues of consolidation, corruption, unsafe working conditions, and dangerous products in healthcare, making the public aware more loudly, more frequently, and from more sources.

Key Takeaways:

• The Healthcare Revolution as a Treatment Revolution: The true "healthcare revolution" began in 1928 with penicillin, shifting medicine from diagnosis-centric to effective treatment, with major advancements like blood banks and defibrillators taking decades for widespread adoption.
• Technological Change Precedes Social Reform: Similar to the Industrial Revolution, technological advancements in healthcare (e.g., new treatments, medical devices) occur first, with necessary social, ethical, and regulatory reforms lagging significantly.
• Market Consolidation as Modern "Trusts": The extensive consolidation of power among insurance carriers, PBMs, and large hospital systems today mirrors the formation of powerful industrial trusts like Standard Oil in the past, leading to reduced competition and market control.
• Political Influence and Regulatory Capture: The healthcare industry exhibits significant political influence and "regulatory capture," where organizations like the AHA, AMA, and AHIP lobby extensively, akin to the political corruption seen during the Industrial Revolution.
• Physician Burnout as Unsafe Working Conditions: The mental and emotional toll on healthcare professionals, leading to burnout and elevated suicide rates, is presented as the modern equivalent of "unsafe working conditions" found in early industrial factories.
• Medical Errors as an "Unsafe Product": Medical errors within the healthcare system are characterized as an "unsafe product," drawing a parallel to the dangerous and unsanitary products exposed by muckraking journalism during the Industrial Revolution.
• Antitrust Actions as a Predicted Resolution: Based on the Industrial Revolution's history, federal breakups of large, consolidated healthcare entities (antitrust actions) are predicted as a necessary step to address market imbalances.
• Increased Investigations and Accountability: To combat political corruption and influence, the healthcare sector is likely to face increased investigations, civil and criminal lawsuits, and potentially jail time for those involved, mirroring historical responses to figures like Boss Tweed.
• New Workplace Safety Regulations for Providers: Just as industrial accidents led to child labor laws and fire codes, the current crisis of physician burnout and unsafe working conditions is expected to necessitate new regulations focused on the safety and well-being of healthcare providers.
• Public Outcry as a Catalyst for Change: Investigative journalism (modern "muckraking") is crucial for exposing industry issues, generating public outcry, and compelling healthcare organizations to implement necessary reforms and increase accountability.
• Healthcare Revolution is Ongoing: The healthcare revolution, at approximately 90 years in duration compared to the Industrial Revolution's 154 years, is still in progress, indicating that significant systemic and social changes are yet to unfold.
• Accelerating Reform Through Repeated Exposure: The speaker advocates for accelerating the reform process by consistently and widely exposing the issues of consolidation, corruption, unsafe conditions, and dangerous products in healthcare, using the historical playbook from the Industrial Revolution.

Key Concepts:

• Healthcare Revolution: Defined by the speaker as the "healthcare treatment revolution," starting with the discovery of penicillin in 1928, which enabled effective medical interventions beyond mere diagnosis.
• Industrial Revolution Parallels: A framework used to analyze the healthcare industry's evolution by comparing its systemic issues (consolidation, political influence, working conditions, product safety) to those of the Industrial Revolution.
• Regulatory Capture: A concept where a regulatory agency, created to act in the public interest, instead advances the commercial or political concerns of special interest groups that dominate the industry or sector it is charged with regulating.
• Muckraking/Investigative Journalism: A form of journalism that seeks to expose misconduct in business, politics, or society, historically leading to public awareness and calls for reform.