Disasters, epidemics and other crises have the odd benefit of uniting our minds and actions toward the highest priority - health and welfare. It's amazing that beyond such events, we seem destined to make sub-optimal trade-offs in the name of politics, budget gaming and fear. I continue to see studies that show that working with patients and measuring outcomes that matter to them can have significant positive impact on treatment choices and on their adherence to and satisfaction with care. Real-world data analytics have the potential to reveal important proof of this concept. What stands in our way? First, we need to focus resources on the engagement and connection with patients, not just the technologies. Second, we need to take access off the table as a barrier. Basic, essential, health care should be available to anyone regardless of age, disability, geography, or income. Then we can get to the hard(er) work: improving quality, finding what works best for an individual patient, providing chronic and catastrophic care, and cost.