eAlert Thu, 12/06/2007 - 12:00 cc149c75-2b9e-45ac-901a-c0863bc0010b

<p><div align="center">DECEMBER 18, 2007<br>9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.<br>First Amendment Lounge<br>National Press Club<br>Washington, D.C.</div><br><br>On December 18, the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System--a diverse group of leading health policy experts from government, private industry, health care delivery organizations, academia, and professional associations--will release a report, <em>Bending the Curve: Options for Achieving Savings and Improving Value in U.S. Health Spending,</em> which provides specific savings estimates for 15 federal policy options over a 10-year period. In addition to estimating the overall impact of specific policy options on health expenditures, the study assesses the projected impact on the federal government, state and local governments, private payers, and households.<br><br>Among the questions the report addresses are: How much could projected health system spending be reduced by combining some policy options with coverage for all Americans? If all health information could be shared electronically, how much would the health system save? What savings would result from specific policy changes to reduce tobacco use? If the federal government could negotiate prescription drug prices, what would the net savings be?<br><br><strong>When:</strong> Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.<br><br><strong>Who:</strong> <em>Karen Davis,</em> President, The Commonwealth Fund<br><em>Cathy Schoen,</em> Senior Vice President, The Commonwealth Fund<br><em>Dallas Salisbury,</em> President and CEO, Employee Benefit Research Institute<br><br><strong>RSVP: Those wishing to attend the briefing should contact Susan Monheit at (301) 652-1558 x 202 or email <a href="mailto:[email protected]">smonheit@burnesscommunicatio… report follows the Commission's report on how best to achieve universal coverage, <em><a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=30847&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecommonwealthfund%2Eorg%2Fpublications%2Fpublications%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D553840%26%23doc553840">A Roadmap to Health Insurance for All: Principles for Reform</a>,</em> released in October, and <em><a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=30848&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecommonwealthfund%2Eorg%2Fpublications%2Fpublications%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D584834%26%23doc584834">A High Performance Health System For the United States: An Ambitious Agenda for the Next President</a>,</em> which outlines specific strategies to contain costs and organize the U.S. health care delivery system and was released in November. Over the next year, the Commission will continue to release reports outlining specific health care reform strategies and analyzing existing reform plans from Capitol Hill and presidential candidates.<br><br><strong>The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System,</strong> formed in April 2005, seeks opportunities to change the delivery and financing of health care to improve system performance, and will identify public and private policies and practices that would lead to those improvements.<br><br>The Commission members are: <strong>James J. Mongan, M.D.</strong> (Chair), Partners HealthCare System, Inc., <strong>Maureen Bisognano,</strong> Institute for Healthcare Improvement, <strong>Christine K. Cassel, M.D.,</strong> American Board of Internal Medicine and ABIM Foundation, <strong>Michael Chernew, Ph.D.,</strong> Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, <strong>Patricia Gabow, M.D.,</strong> Denver Health, <strong>Robert Galvin, M.D.,</strong> General Electric Company, <strong>Fernando A. Guerra, M.D., M.P.H.,</strong> San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, <strong>George C. Halvorson,</strong> Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc., <strong>Robert M. Hayes, J.D.,</strong> Medicare Rights Center, <strong>Glenn M. Hackbarth, J.D.,</strong> Consultant, <strong>Cleve L. Killingsworth,</strong> Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, <strong>Sheila T. Leatherman,</strong> School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, <strong>Gregory P. Poulsen, M.B.A.,</strong> Intermountain Health Care, <strong>Dallas L. Salisbury,</strong> Employee Benefit Research Institute, <strong>Sandra Shewry,</strong> State of California Department of Health Services, <strong>Glenn D. Steele, Jr., M.D., Ph.D.,</strong> Geisinger Health System, <strong>Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N.,</strong> Center for Rural Health, University of North Dakota, <strong>Alan R. Weil, J.D., M.P.P.,</strong> National Academy for State Health Policy, <strong>Steve Wetzell,</strong> HR Policy Association.</p>

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2007/dec/commonwealth-fund-commission-to-release-report-outlining-estimated-savings-from-specific-health-re