A Yanqui in Havana: A Peek Behind the Cuban Healthcare Curtain

Michael H. Samuelson, President and CEO, and an adjunct professor at the University of Rhode Island, recently visited Havana for eight days as part of a university research team to examine Cuba's healthcare system, with a specific focus on health and wellness. In this commentary, he offers some initial observations and global comparisons between the healthcare systems in Cuba and the US, shares his insights on the prevalence of integrated health management and the patient-centered medical home in Cuba, and explores the "So what?" question and possible lessons we can pull from Cuba and the global healthcare experience.