1995 Health Care Forums on Business Strategies

  Following the 1992-94 health reform debate, the National Coalition on Health Care concluded that public education was a vital ingredient missing from the national dialogue on health care reform. The Coalition responded by developing a program designed for senior business leaders in Atlanta, GA, Los Angeles, CA, New York, NY, Boston, MA, and Chicago, IL, in a series of Fall 1995 forums. These colloquia, co-sponsored and funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, addressed the issues of cost containment, quality care, and consolidation within the health care delivery system at the national, regional and local levels. The morning session focused on private sector issues and cost containment strategies used by local business leaders. The afternoon session examined the rapidly changing landscape in the local health care delivery systems, featuring representatives from local HMOs and hospital networks. The session concluded with a discussion of the increasingly serious issue of quality health care and outcomes research. To attract an audience comprised of CEOs, CFOs, senior vice presidents for compensation and benefits, and directors of human resources, the Coalition worked cooperatively with the Pacific Business Group on Health, the New York Business Group on Health, Northeastern Universityís College of Business Administration, the Midwest Business Group on Health, and with Coalition members Southern California Edison Company and R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company. The conferences were standing-room-only, with a total of 1,200 participants.

      The overwhelming response was due in part to the caliber of speakers who the Coalition attracted, including President Jimmy Carter, Fran Bastien of Digital Equipment Corporation, Dr. Chris Bisgard of Delta Airlines, Lawrence English of CIGNA HealthCare, Mark Goldberg of the Yale School of Management, Fred Hamacher and Ed Wingate of Dayton Hudson Corporation, Margaret Jordan of Southern California Edison Company, Dr. Lucian Leape of the Harvard School of Public Health, Dr. David Lawrence of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Dr. George Lundberg of the Journal of American Medical Association, Dr. Arnold Milstein of the Pacific Business Group on Health, Susan Moriconi of Hewlett-Packard Company, Dr. Richard Nesson of Partners HealthCare System, Inc., Charlie Pryde of the Ford Motor Company, Uwe Reinhardt of Princeton University, Dr. Steven Schroeder of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Dr. David Skinner of The New York Hospital and Dr. John Wennberg of the Dartmouth Medical School.