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Leaders of several health care and labor organizations met with President Obama at the White House last month and proposed ideas to reduce the growth in health care costs by as much as $2 trillion over the next decade.
In a letter sent to the president, the six organizations—the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, America's Health Insurance Plans, and the Service Employees International Union—vowed to help achieve the cost reduction. Among their proposals:
▸ Cutting costs by focusing on administrative simplification, standardization, and transparency.
▸ Reducing overuse and underuse of health care by aligning incentives so that physicians, hospitals, and other providers are encouraged to work together toward the highest standards of quality and efficiency.
▸ Encouraging coordinated care and adhering to evidence-based best practices and therapies that reduce hospitalization and manage chronic disease more effectively.
▸ Implementing proven prevention strategies.
▸ Making common-sense improvements in care delivery, health information technology, workforce development, and regulatory reforms.
The AMA told the president that although evidence-based guidelines will be helpful in reducing costs, the reductions could be enhanced if physicians had more liability protection. “For example, if everyone who walks into the emergency room gets an MRI for a headache, it's a costly procedure,” AMA President-Elect J. James Rohack said in an interview. “We know that in some areas of the country [that test has] been done because people sued when they didn't get the test. If we create scientifically based guidelines that say not everyone needs to have the MRI for a headache, physicians have got to have liability protection so they don't get sued if they follow that guideline.”
Dr. Rohack said he felt the president heard what the AMA was conveying. “Clearly the message of defensive medicine costing dollars in the health care system was received, as was the recognition that prior attempts at tort liability by just creating global caps hasn't been successful. We are going to have to work at other creative ways of achieving the goal.”
The president called the White House meeting historic. “As these groups take the steps they are outlining, and as we work with Congress on health care reform legislation, my administration will continue working to reduce health care costs to achieve similar savings.”
In reaction to the meeting, Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) noted that while he was glad the groups were trying to work together, they weren't taking the correct approach. “From what I can tell, the announcement by the health industry leaders misses the mark in several areas,” he said in a statement. “It promises no protections against a Washington takeover of health care, no guarantees that Washington bureaucrats won't stand in the way of Americans getting the treatment they need when they need it, and no promises that patients will be able to control their health care decisions. … Until more details are revealed, I would encourage Americans to be circumspect about today's announcement.”
President Obama called the meeting of health care reform stakeholders last month 'historic.' Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
Leaders of several health care and labor organizations met with President Obama at the White House last month and proposed ideas to reduce the growth in health care costs by as much as $2 trillion over the next decade.
In a letter sent to the president, the six organizations—the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, America's Health Insurance Plans, and the Service Employees International Union—vowed to help achieve the cost reduction. Among their proposals:
▸ Cutting costs by focusing on administrative simplification, standardization, and transparency.
▸ Reducing overuse and underuse of health care by aligning incentives so that physicians, hospitals, and other providers are encouraged to work together toward the highest standards of quality and efficiency.
▸ Encouraging coordinated care and adhering to evidence-based best practices and therapies that reduce hospitalization and manage chronic disease more effectively.
▸ Implementing proven prevention strategies.
▸ Making common-sense improvements in care delivery, health information technology, workforce development, and regulatory reforms.
The AMA told the president that although evidence-based guidelines will be helpful in reducing costs, the reductions could be enhanced if physicians had more liability protection. “For example, if everyone who walks into the emergency room gets an MRI for a headache, it's a costly procedure,” AMA President-Elect J. James Rohack said in an interview. “We know that in some areas of the country [that test has] been done because people sued when they didn't get the test. If we create scientifically based guidelines that say not everyone needs to have the MRI for a headache, physicians have got to have liability protection so they don't get sued if they follow that guideline.”
Dr. Rohack said he felt the president heard what the AMA was conveying. “Clearly the message of defensive medicine costing dollars in the health care system was received, as was the recognition that prior attempts at tort liability by just creating global caps hasn't been successful. We are going to have to work at other creative ways of achieving the goal.”
The president called the White House meeting historic. “As these groups take the steps they are outlining, and as we work with Congress on health care reform legislation, my administration will continue working to reduce health care costs to achieve similar savings.”
In reaction to the meeting, Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) noted that while he was glad the groups were trying to work together, they weren't taking the correct approach. “From what I can tell, the announcement by the health industry leaders misses the mark in several areas,” he said in a statement. “It promises no protections against a Washington takeover of health care, no guarantees that Washington bureaucrats won't stand in the way of Americans getting the treatment they need when they need it, and no promises that patients will be able to control their health care decisions. … Until more details are revealed, I would encourage Americans to be circumspect about today's announcement.”
President Obama called the meeting of health care reform stakeholders last month 'historic.' Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
Leaders of several health care and labor organizations met with President Obama at the White House last month and proposed ideas to reduce the growth in health care costs by as much as $2 trillion over the next decade.
In a letter sent to the president, the six organizations—the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, America's Health Insurance Plans, and the Service Employees International Union—vowed to help achieve the cost reduction. Among their proposals:
▸ Cutting costs by focusing on administrative simplification, standardization, and transparency.
▸ Reducing overuse and underuse of health care by aligning incentives so that physicians, hospitals, and other providers are encouraged to work together toward the highest standards of quality and efficiency.
▸ Encouraging coordinated care and adhering to evidence-based best practices and therapies that reduce hospitalization and manage chronic disease more effectively.
▸ Implementing proven prevention strategies.
▸ Making common-sense improvements in care delivery, health information technology, workforce development, and regulatory reforms.
The AMA told the president that although evidence-based guidelines will be helpful in reducing costs, the reductions could be enhanced if physicians had more liability protection. “For example, if everyone who walks into the emergency room gets an MRI for a headache, it's a costly procedure,” AMA President-Elect J. James Rohack said in an interview. “We know that in some areas of the country [that test has] been done because people sued when they didn't get the test. If we create scientifically based guidelines that say not everyone needs to have the MRI for a headache, physicians have got to have liability protection so they don't get sued if they follow that guideline.”
Dr. Rohack said he felt the president heard what the AMA was conveying. “Clearly the message of defensive medicine costing dollars in the health care system was received, as was the recognition that prior attempts at tort liability by just creating global caps hasn't been successful. We are going to have to work at other creative ways of achieving the goal.”
The president called the White House meeting historic. “As these groups take the steps they are outlining, and as we work with Congress on health care reform legislation, my administration will continue working to reduce health care costs to achieve similar savings.”
In reaction to the meeting, Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) noted that while he was glad the groups were trying to work together, they weren't taking the correct approach. “From what I can tell, the announcement by the health industry leaders misses the mark in several areas,” he said in a statement. “It promises no protections against a Washington takeover of health care, no guarantees that Washington bureaucrats won't stand in the way of Americans getting the treatment they need when they need it, and no promises that patients will be able to control their health care decisions. … Until more details are revealed, I would encourage Americans to be circumspect about today's announcement.”
President Obama called the meeting of health care reform stakeholders last month 'historic.' Official White House Photo by Pete Souza