It's very common to tunnel in on the party list... I mean it's their job... "Watch the condition of your party members and react accordingly." Because of this healers often fail to worry about themselves. They don't see what is going on around them because they are so focused on doing their specific role.

By moving the party list and focus targets closer to your character model, you have a much clearer vision of what's going on around you while you focus on doing your job. I prefer to heal with a similar UI placement where the party list is very close to my toon. #justahealerthang