 Summer offers the perfect opportunity to step back and look at what’s been accomplished – and what lies ahead. As the mercury rises, NEHI’s initiatives and programs are also heating up, promising to provide an exciting next several months. In this issue, you'll learn what we have already achieved – and what's on the horizon.
One upcoming highlight is our Fifth Anniversary Gala, to be held on October 22 at the Westin Copley Hotel in Boston. Preparations are fully underway for this event, and we enthusiastically look forward to celebrating with you. In the meantime, on behalf of the NEHI team, I wish you a wonderful summer.
All the Best,
Wendy Everett, ScD
President
Looking Back Webinar with Prof. Elizabeth Teisberg
Darden School Professor Elizabeth Teisberg, a NEHI senior fellow and co-author, with Michael Porter, of the book Redefining Healthcare, delivered a NEHI member webinar on June 25 on creating a value-driven health care system. Teisberg highlighted four “guideposts” to delivering value-based health care:
1. Redefine the goal of health care delivery around value to patients – think about the organization from a patient perspective, the way patients actually experience care;
2. Redesign a full-care cycle for medical conditions, so conditions are treated by an integrated team learning and achieving results cohesively;
3. Create and pursue achievable metrics to measure results at the level of patient value, and weave those metrics into the culture of the organization; and
4. Align reimbursement with the restructured delivery and value – but do not wait for reimbursement to be realigned before implementing value-based practices.
To view a transcript and Teisberg's slides from the webinar, click here. Healthy People/Healthy Economy Midwest Forum
On May 13, NEHI visited the Windy City to co-host, with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, "An Unhealthy Midwest: The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease," a forum tied to our Healthy People/Healthy Economy initiative promoting wellness and prevention.
The half-day program explored issues related to the impact of chronic disease and health promotion strategies in the Midwest. Highlights included a keynote by Ken Thorpe, professor of health policy at Emory University and executive director of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease; a panel discussion with Chicago teachers' labor negotiators on incentives and goals for health promotion; a panel on creating a successful strategy for reducing chronic disease featuring representatives from Microsoft and Health Care Service Corporation; a presentation on the economic impact of chronic disease by Ross DeVol of the Milken Institute; and a presentation by NEHI's own Wendy Everett on creating a statewide blueprint for change.
For more information on this event, click here or contact Tom Hubbard, NEHI senior program director. NEHI's Ozbun Receives Science Club for Girls Honor
On June 26, NEHI Vice President of Strategic Partnerships Judy Ozbun received the Science Club for Girls' first-annual Catalyst Award in recognition of Ozbun’s lifelong dedication to “cultivating the future generation of scientists.” Prior to joining NEHI, Ozbun was the director of community affairs at Genzyme, where she worked with the Science Club for Girls as well as the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair, the Museum of Science and the Mass BioEd Foundation to provide students with opportunities to explore and succeed in the scientific disciplines.
 Of her work to support science education, Ozbun said, “It is vital that young people have the opportunity to connect with professionals currently working in their field of interest, through internships and mentoring offered by organizations like NEHI and Genzyme. That interaction ultimately empowers youth to explore, aspire to and pursue their dreams of being the scientists and leaders of tomorrow.” |
On the Horizon Comparative Effectiveness Research Initiative
Policymakers in and beyond Washington are calling for the expanded use of comparative effectiveness research (CER) in the U.S. health care system, and proposals to expand government-funded CER are likely to be part of the health care agenda put forth by the new president and Congress in 2009. What impact will CER have on patient care and decision-making throughout the health care system -- and, in turn, on innovation in health care products and processes?
NEHI is launching an initiative aimed at addressing that critical question. This summer, NEHI will conduct focus groups to gather cross-industry views on the impact of CER on health care innovation. Based on the focus groups, NEHI will produce an issue brief and, in October, will convene an expert roundtable to further explore key questions. Later in the fall, NEHI will hold a larger policy forum and publish a more comprehensive white paper providing a roadmap on CER and its impact on innovation.
For more details on this initiative, email Tom Hubbard, NEHI senior program director. Emergency Department Overuse Research
In response to the growing overuse of emergency departments (EDs), NEHI is partnering with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in a joint initiative to identify and test strategies for reducing non-urgent ED visits.
Non-urgent ED visits have increased dramatically, from 9.2 million in 1997 to 16 million in 2005, due to a range of factors including a weakened primary care system and the accessibility of EDs regardless of an individual’s ability to pay. The rise in non-urgent visits is driving up the cost of health care services; the cost of an ED visit is two to five times greater than the cost of a primary care visit, adding up to an estimated $1 billion annually in Massachusetts alone.
NEHI and IHI will work with hospitals and other health sites to test innovative strategies to reduce non-urgent ED use, with a goal of creating a roadmap for organizations ready to address the problem of ED overuse. The initiative’s research phase is currently being finalized, and strategy testing will begin in September. For more information on the project, click here or contact Valerie Fleishman, NEHI executive director. 5th Anniversary Gala
To recognize and celebrate our first five years of advancing health and health care as we look to the future, NEHI will gather key decision-makers from the health care, business and policy communities for a 5th Anniversary Dinner and Gala on October 22, from 6-9 p.m. at the Westin Copley Hotel. We are proud to welcome Joyce Kulhawik, former arts and entertainment anchor for WBZ-TV Boston, three-time cancer survivor, and patient advocate, as our emcee for the evening. As part of the festivities, we will honor groups, including key players in Massachusetts health reform, whose seminal achievements exemplify the spirit of NEHI’s mission and values of collaboration, innovation and transformation in health care.
For more information on the Gala and opportunities to sponsor the event, click here. |
Calendar of Events Webinar: Employee Health Promotion and Wellness Programs - August 13
Join us for an interactive webinar examining employer-sponsored health promotion and wellness, featuring best practices and case studies. An invitation will follow; please contact Tom Hubbard, NEHI senior program director, for further details. NEHI 5th Anniversary Gala - October 22
Join NEHI members and the broader health care community in celebration of five years of improving health. Click here for details. NEHI Board Meeting - October 23
The next NEHI board meeting will be held October 23, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., at the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council offices, 1 Cambridge Center in Cambridge. Contact Valerie Fleishman, NEHI executive director, for details. |
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