Massmed Podcast » State of the State of Health Care Conference: 2008

2008 State of the State of Health Care Conference: Panel Discussion

ffortin — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:52:30 +0000

The conference ended with a stimulating roundtable discussion among Bruce Auerbach, president of the MMS; Cleve Killingsworth, chair and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts; Donna Cupelo, New England Region President of Verizon, and Paul Levy, President and CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The moderator is Jim Braude from New England Cable News.

Listen to the roundtable. (Length 1:12:51) (This will open your computer's default media player in a new window)
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2008 State of the State of Health Care Conference: Elliott Fisher, MD

ffortin — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:50:57 +0000

Elliott Fisher, MD, from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, said solutions that focus on changing individual physician behavior will provide only limited benefit. He said lasting solutions must focus on the role of the underlying local health system as the driver of cost and quality. A better approach, he offered, is to develop “local delivery systems" that are accountable for the overall cost and quality of care.

Listen to Fisher’s presentation. (Length: 33:13) (This will open your computer's default media player in a new window)
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View Fisher's slides.

2008 State of the State of Health Care Conference: Susan Dentzer

ffortin — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:49:53 +0000

Susan Dentzer, editor in chief of Health Affairs, reviewed the literature on the causes of rising costs and suggested solutions. According to Dentzer, why are costs rising?

advances in medical technology
poor health status, especially obesity
poor productivity
no competition on prices
Fee for service penalizes those who re-engineer their practice
NOT: aging population, or malpractice costs

Solutions? Dentzer explored two approaches – from the Commonwealth Fund, and the Center for Studying Health System Change. These include:

expanding health IT
employment comparative effective studies
patients sharing in decision making
disease prevention
realigning incentives
correcting price signals, such as re-setting Medicare Advantage rates, and permitting negotiation of Medicare prescription drug prices
payment reform – fee for service is toxic to health care

Listen to Dentzer’s presentation. (Length: 36:45) (This will open your computer's default media player in a new window)
Download from iTunes
View Dentzer’s slides.

2008 State of the State of Health Care Conference: JudyAnn Bigby, MD

ffortin — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:48:19 +0000

JudyAnn Bigby, MD, Massachusetts Health and Human Services secretary, kicked off the conference with persuasive evidence that Massachusetts has achieved a great deal in expanding access. But she also pointed out the persistent disparities in health care access for minorities. She touched broadly costs and quality, offering that payment reform, expanded health IT and transparent health care information are needed to address those issues.

She also raised questions about the mismatch between the large numbers of licensed physicians in Massachusetts and the persistent shortages cited in MMS physician workforce studies. “Why the paradox?” she asked. “It’s not simply a numbers game.”

Listen to Bigby’s presentation. (Length 35:26) (This will open your computer's default media player in a new window)
Download from iTunes
View Bigby’s slides.