Goals for Maine's Health Care System

1. Universal: Every resident receives comprehensive quality health care services.
2. Individualized: Health caregivers must have respect for an individual’s health care decisions, or when appropriate, decisions made by loved ones or guardians, and are guided by the individual’s cultural background and community context.
3. Understandable: Individuals and caregivers should have access to the most current health care and coverage information in easily understood and culturally appropriate language and formats to help guide appropriate decision making.
4. Balanced: High quality care requires a balance between the appropriate use of medical technology on one hand, and providing care and compassion on the other.
5. Prevention-oriented: High quality care should have its foundation in promoting wellness and disease prevention as a cornerstone to health.
6. Seamless: No matter where they live or work, individuals should receive comprehensive quality health care services, including preventive, acute, chronic, long-term, and/or palliative care, in a seamless, coordinated fashion.
7. Sensitive to Cost: Comprehensive health care coverage and the provision of high quality care should be affordable, with costs distributed equitably, yet provide high value for individuals, families, employers, and government-funded programs.
8. Evidence-based: Health care services should be evidence-based, whenever possible, and/or follow generally accepted standards of care.
9. Innovative: The health care system should be open to innovation in direct care, delivery systems, health information, and financing.
10. Interconnected: The health of individuals is influenced by the health of families and communities and requires both personal and community responsibility.