The Washington Convention Center has been in crisis as the health industry and nearly 2,000 political advisors gathered for the 4 th World Congress of Health. The standard policy topics of cost, quality and coverage have been discussed, competition, efficiency, transparency, and, of course, reform. For the full posts on the event, visit the Director Global Health Care Blog. Here are some snapshots of yesterday’s speakers:
Data Quality: After posting a slide on “Outcomes Assessment Gone Bad,” Brent James, vice president for Medical Research, Intermountain Health, explained that there are 3 ways to get better data on quality of results:
1. Measure, manage and improve the system, which he acknowledged “difficult.”
2. Sub-optimized
3. numbers game in order to look good data, rather than improve the system. James said he has collected examples.
James also noted the difficulty for consumers in using quality data once they are handmade. In his decision, he said, “stories of strength data and histories active relationships.”
Pay-for-performance: The former British health minister Tom Sackville has discussed his concerns with physician payment penalties / rewards. “Doctors are highly educated, employed and have their pride. If some distant civil servant starts withholding money or throwing [physicians] bits of fish, they will begin to behave like naughty children or trained seals. ”
for physicians on the quality of payment: In a Q & A on the payment of Medicare, the American Medical Association President-elect William Plestan confirmed the opinion that doctors resent the payment of quality programs. “Quality is a work of the AMA since its founding…. The real crisis is going to pay.” He continued: “We are not able to follow the dictates of those who have no medical training.” He concluded by asking ” pell-mell rush to pay for the performance today. ”
AARP weighs on quality:. John Rother, policy director of AARP, argued that “.. The quality makes a big difference, he will depart” He said, “Adherence to evidence-based medicine is the most highest form of medical ethics This is a discussion based on ethics …. The only way to improve quality is to measure it. ”
CMS on quality: Herb Kuhn, deputy director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has recognized the difficulties inherent in efforts to Medicare for measuring quality performance and the Institute of PRP incentives. “Because it is difficult does not mean it is not worth doing” [audience applause].
Consumer Driven Plans: Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Linda Springer noted that nearly 20,000 government employees in the United States are now in high deductible insurance plans, consumer-driven. She expected to increase that. Larry Glass Cock, Chairman, CEO and president of WellPoint Inc., plans to put its consumer-focused first on its list of 4 steps to help curb the unsustainable growth in health spending U.S.. These plans “to put the consumer back in the middle of making health-care exactly where consumers need to be.”
Price Transparency: The panelists discussed the need for price transparency to consumers for consumption of these plans increasingly called upon to take consumers more cost conscious and informed. Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove said his organization “transparency unit” and “unity of the dollar value of health care.” However, when asked whether Cleveland Clinic publishes its tariffs for the services, said it was “difficult.. .. What we publish? Actual costs? Different reimbursement rates?” And therein lies the difficulty consumers, even when an organization whose leadership has a goal of transparency can not publish a price list for comparison.
