HC4HR: Health CEOs In The Spotlight

As our nation debates health care, we ask ourselves the big questions. How can we get sustainable, affordable, quality coverage for every American? What is possible in health reform, and how can we turn the possible into the actionable? Here at the New America Foundation, we are proud to affiliate ourselves with health care leaders who have answers. The Health CEOs for Health Reform, a diverse coalition of health industry leaders, provide outstanding examples of cooperation, innovation, and high quality health care delivery at low costs.

Here on our Health Policy Program blog, the New Health Dialogue, we've created a video series highlighting presentations of the CEOs and their accomplishments. Each video features a personal interview with or presentation from one of the CEOs or their representatives. Each explains how they have pressed ahead with reforms and improvements in the real world. In case you missed it, here's the round up:

Realigning Incentives: Nicholas Wolter, MD, the CEO of the Billings Clinic presents the Health CEOs proposals for changing the delivery system to end fee-for-service medicine to match payment models with best practices.

Medical Homes: Scott Armstrong, MBA, the president and CEO of the Group Health Cooperative describes his organization's success rebuilding its staffing model to support a medical home.

Integrated Care: Gary Kaplan, MD, chairman and CEO of the Virginia Mason Medical Center describes his organization's experience developing a more coordinated model of care based on Toyota's methods of lean production.

Health IT: Patricia Gabow, MD, of Denver Health describes how her organization uses electronic medical records to more effectively manage high blood pressure.

Comparative Effectiveness: Jane Horvath of Merck & Co., Inc. describes her company's views on this research and details one current project looking at oral diabetes medication.

Clinical Excellence: Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, FACHE, details Ascension Health's gains in clinical outcomes and quality measures that prove rapid change is possible, even for complex systems.

Shared Savings: Wade Rose of Catholic Healthcare West and Mike Johnson of Blue Shield of California describe their organizations' collaborative experiment to share the savings from higher value, lower cost care.

Accountable Care: Donna Katen-Bahensky, the president and CEO of University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, describes her organization's efforts to change the dynamics of modern medicine through the principles of accountable care organizations (ACO).

Since the HC4HR event in June, the CEOs have been out there spreading the story. Here's a quick (partial) round-up of news coverage of the CEOs.

Kaiser Health News talked to Ascension Health President and CEO Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, FACHE, and Denver Health CEO Patricia A. Gabow, MD, about the current health care reform debate, and what reform will mean for their health systems. We've highlighted both these health systems on our blog, the New Health Dialogue (here and here.)

Checking In With Ascension Health, Largest Catholic Health System | Kaiser Health News | August 18, 2009

Checking In With Denver Health CEO Patricia Gabow On A "Model" Health Care System | Kaiser Health News | August 14, 2009

 

PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer recently featured the Billings Clinic, led by CEO Nicholas Wolter. PBS identified Billings an integrated, multi-specialty, high-performing health system on the level of the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic, Geisinger, or Kaiser Permanente.

Mont. Clinic Aims to Deliver Top-quality Care for Less | PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer | August 12, 2009

Talk of using cooperatives in health reform has increased recently as the debate over the public plan intensifies. CNN recently highlighted the Group Health Cooperative, led by CEO Scott Armstrong, as a model health system that improves health care quality and efficiency by connecting patients directly to their doctors. Scott Armstrong was also featured on C-SPAN Newsmakers, to discuss the real world consequences of utilizing co-ops in national health reform.

Praise from doctors, patients on health cooperatives | CNN | August 18, 2009

Discussion on Health Care Co-ops | C-SPAN Newsmakers | August 23, 2009

Virginia Mason Medical Center, led by Chairman and CEO Gary Kaplan, MD was featured on the CBS Evening News earlier this summer. CBS examined the way Virginia Mason implemented the Toyota Production System (originally used to manufacture cars) to cut waiting times, connect patients to their doctors, reduce medical errors, and lower costs.

A Carmaker As A Model For A Hospital? | CBS News | June 6, 2009

Lloyd Dean, President and CEO of Catholic Healthcare West and Gary Kaplan, MD, Chairman and CEO of Virginia Mason Medical Center speak out about health reform, demonstrating their role as both local and national leaders in the current debate.

Lloyd H. Dean: Dare to imagine better, cheaper care | Sacramento Bee | August 19, 2009

Local Leaders Weigh In On Health-Care Reform | Kitsap Sun | August 2, 2009

Additional media coverage is available on the Health CEOs for Health Reform website.