Post by .406 Ventures

Last week The Economist took a hard look at autism care in the U.S. and concluded that it has become a case study for much of what ails the healthcare system: perverse incentives, predatory practice patterns, uncoordinated care, and supply driven demand. Children with complex needs are blanketed with more hours of therapy than are clinically necessary while their other medical concerns go unaddressed, driving up costs, paralyzing families, and leading to worse overall outcomes.   As the Economist points out, the model developed by .406 portfolio company Cortica looks very different. Children move between speech therapy, occupational therapy, and medical care in a coordinated way, with teams aligned around each child’s specific needs. As The Economist put it, “such coordinated care is essential. It is also all too rare.” Autism care is inherently multidisciplinary, so care for it should be delivered that way, and incentives should align towards the outcomes that matter most. Neither is consistently true today. Congratulations to Neil Hattangadi, MD, MSc, Suzanne Goh, and the entire Cortica team on the recognition, but more importantly, on the hard work to show what “better” can actually look like in caring for the many children with autism diagnoses. #AutismAcceptanceMonth Liam Donohue, Kathryn Taylor Reddy https://lnkd.in/ggXYhj3x