The Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that more than 800 employers in more than 20 states have committed to President Bush's plan to advance value-driven healthcare in America.
The plan, which began by Executive Order a year ago, is helping to bring about "a change of culture" that will raise the quality of healthcare and can potentially contain costs, HHS said.
According to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt, the president's value-driven healthcare plan has begun a positive change in the healthcare sector. "For the first time, we are working effectively together to make possible reliable and consistent measures of quality and price," Leavitt said. "This is the foundation we must have for a future of affordable, effective, and high quality health care."
The president's plan centers on four "cornerstone" goals, the first being to connect the healthcare system through adoption of interoperable health information technology. The others are to measure results of care and make pricing information available to the public, then aligning incentives for performance.
"These cornerstones represent very substantial commitments and changes for health programs, and we are pleased to be able to report that substantial first year progress has been made across federal agencies since August 2006," Leavitt said. "Value and affordability are the crucial underpinnings for making our health care system work as it must, including our goal to make affordable insurance coverage accessible for all Americans."
In a progress report released yesterday, HHS outlines federal and private sector accomplishments over the past year toward implementing the plan. It also shows some of HHS's plans for the upcoming year, including:
- trial implementations of prototypes for the Nationwide Health Information Network
- the requirement of new healthcare IT standards in contracts with federal agencies
Karen Linscott, chief operating officer of The Leapfrog Group, a voluntary program aimed at mobilizing employer purchasing power, said its members have long been committed to advancing safety, quality, and transparency in healthcare.
"We are thrilled that HHS is also committed to shining the light on these aspects of our healthcare system, and appreciate the opportunity to collaborate on this effort," Linscott said. "While progress has been made, all parties must work aggressively to accelerate the pace of adoption of these pillars, which are critical to saving lives and ensuring the financial stability of our health care system."