Senior Obama Administration officials heard from business leaders about shaping health care and how technology and innovation can reduce health care costs, improve health outcomes and increase competition
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) March 12, 2014
Business leaders from across the country gathered at the White House yesterday to brief White House and Department of Health and Human Services officials on ways to encourage innovation and use new technologies to improve America’s health care system.
The Administration officials updated the group on the Affordable Care Act’s implementation and outlined several initiatives promoting the use of health information technology to make health care more accessible. They also focused on the new health care economy, public-private partnerships, and opportunities for reform to make the system more efficient and responsive.
Business leaders called for more consistency in data-sharing, balancing patient privacy and creating a more streamlined electronic medical records systems.
“Business leaders bring a results-oriented approach to health care,” Jim Doyle, Business Forward president said. “They don’t agree with each other or the Administration on every point when it comes to health care policies, but they understand innovative solutions are the only way to create jobs and move the health care industry forward.”
Senior White House officials who participated in the briefing included:· Ned Holland, Assistant Secretary for Administration, US Department of Health & Human Services
· David Simas, Assistant to the President & Director of the Office of Political Strategy, The White House
· Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
· Dr. Patrick Conway, MD, Deputy Administrator for Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
· Claudia Williams, Senior Health & Health IT Advisor, Office of Science & Technology, The White House
· Andrew McMahon, Senior Advisor to the Administrator, General Services Administration
· Sol Ross, Director of Private Sector Engagement, US Department of Health & Human Services
· Sam Brown, Director, White House Business Council
Business leaders had the following to say about participating in the briefing:
Alexander K. Arrow, MD, President & COO of BIOLASE, Irvine, CA, said, “We were honored to be at the White House with other business leaders to discuss the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Dental lasers are an example of a beneficial medical technology becoming available to more of our fellow citizens via healthcare coverage. We are happy to play our part by creating jobs in the U.S. and proving that innovation and entrepreneurship can bring life-changing and practice-extending technologies to clinicians, even while reducing costs to the healthcare system."
Gabriela Camacho (McAdoo), RN, BSN, Clinical Health Care Advisor with CareMaestro & Sauce Labs, both located in San Francisco, CA, said, “We have all seen how the Affordable Care Act depends on websites and mobile applications to let regulators, insurers, providers and consumers work together. The ACA cannot be implemented if these websites and applications do not work flawlessly across all computers, browsers and mobile devices used by the participants in the ACA. With Sauce Labs’ cross-platform testing services, quality and flexibility can be built into the platform, which will unleash healthcare innovation and entrepreneurship, and make healthcare affordable for all.
Manoj Wadhwani, Vice President of SAI Systems International, located in Shelton, CT, said, “The Affordable Care Act has been a divisive issue in our country, but as a business leader in this industry it has never been more evident that change is required. The meeting at the White House proved to be an opportunity to hear from senior level administration officials without the politicking. My colleagues and I discussed ideas to simplify certification processes, share data, and get Americans insured. While there is much work to do, hearing that the administration recognizes these issues, is hearing us, and working to improve them made for a worthwhile meeting.”
Michael Davolt, Co-Founder & COO of Caremerge, located in Chicago, IL, said, "It was an honor to participate in the White House briefing on healthcare innovation and entrepreneurship. As the healthcare market continues to under-go major reform due to the Affordable Care Act, it has been a great time for entrepreneurs to be a catalyst in the transformation of healthcare technology. As communication is a critical part of Caremerge's mission, it was great interacting with our government partners in an honest and open dialogue on how we can continue to move the issues facing healthcare forward."
Jay Desai, CEO of PatientPing, located in Boston, MA, said, “We at PatientPing appreciate Business Forward inviting health care innovators to speak with Administration representatives on issues related to innovation and entrepreneurship as they relate to the Affordable Care Act. New payment models are transforming how providers deliver care. I feel privileged to lead a company that offers a service improving the quality and efficiency of health care. The incentives created by programs like Accountable Care Organizations and episode bundled payments are creating market opportunities for services like ours and those offered by everyone at the meeting. We came to the White House to share stories of how our services are dramatically improving patient care. Though progress is being made on creating a value proposition for services to accelerate our aims of better care and better health at lower costs, even more can be done to tip the system from a volume to a value based reimbursement environment at large. I encouraged the administration to push our health care economy even harder to help us reach new frontiers in care delivery.
Myechia Minter-Jordan, MD, President & CEO of The Dimock Center, located in Roxbury, MA, said, “I truly appreciated the opportunity to participate in this important briefing about the ACA organized by Business Forward. As a health center leader, our voice is critical in discussions that influence health care reform. Health centers are the backbone of our health care system-serving the underserved and most vulnerable. It was encouraging to learn of the Administration's ongoing support for our work and recognition of our role in outreach and enrollment. I was also able to voice the importance of focusing health care technology innovations on our patient populations as a means of reducing health care costs and improving efficiencies in our health care system.”
Luis Romo, Founder & CEO of Helios Innovative Technologies, located in Boston, MA, said, “As citizens, we can sit back and point out mistakes and challenges of any administration, or we can stand up and act to give constructive feedback on policies that are working well--- and those that need refocusing. Since early 2011, this was the third time we meet with Administration officials and the White House Business Council. Being able to discuss past, current and developing topics is a true honor and privilege. As a growing company focused on reducing healthcare-acquired infections, I hope that these private sector engagements continue. Forward progress and resolutions always involve commitment and participation from all sides. Our healthcare systems and patients depend on our best work!
Roy Schoenberg, MD, CEO of American Well, located in Boston, MA, said, “I applaud Business Forward for their efforts to convene thought leaders at the White House. The Affordable Care Act is making care more affordable by bringing health insurance to all Americans. To fully realize the vision, we need to give them greater access, as well. It’s time to embrace modern technology to bring healthcare home.”
Christi Smith, Chief Privacy Officer, Vice President Legal & Administration of Kyruus, located in Boston, MA, said, “By constantly seeking ways to engage and enable innovative companies alongside other stakeholders, the Administration is demonstrating its commitment to improving healthcare through novel solutions that truly make a difference. We at Kyruus are grateful for the opportunity to attend the White House Business Council's meeting on ACA innovation and entrepreneurship and look forward to working with the Administration to optimize patient access to the right physician in a data-driven way."
Cortney Nicolato, Vice President of Marketing & Strategy at Get Real Health, located in Rockville, MD, said, “As a company that is improving outcomes and efficiencies through patient engagement technology, it is always wonderful to have the opportunity to sit down with top government leaders in our field. We applaud Business Forward and the White House Business Council for offering a venue where we can get important updates, share our real world ideas and brainstorm solutions to better the U.S. healthcare system.”
Chris Efthymiou, Co-Founder & CEO of Health Insurance Geeks, located in Charlotte, NC, said, “When the ACA passed it was clear the broken health insurance system in the US had no choice but to change. I am excited to be a leader in the private sector, and to continue to collaborate and improve the ACA.”
Chris Mau, CEO of Canopy SSI, located in Charlotte, NC, said, "Being a seasoned entrepreneur and CEO of a software company specializing in human capital management, I have an intimate appreciation of how the ACA has impacted businesses and individuals alike while spurring innovation. I attended the ACA briefing to better understand the progress and challenges tied to the legislation, glean information to more effectively meet the needs of our clientele and community at large, and help provide suggestions to improve the ACA and subsequent implementation and roll-out.
I found the briefing informative with regard to improvements to health-related data, Medicaid developments, and correlated tax impediments to innovation. I look forward to future break-out discussions surrounding innovation and entrepreneurship as it relates to the ACA; specifically addressing the commercial sector in the areas of administration and compliance."
Andrei Zimiles, CEO of Doctor.com, located in New York, NY, said, “It’s encouraging to see this Administration engaging with leaders from a broad spectrum of health care companies. I was pleased to attend the briefing and think that HHS is on the right track with initiatives like HealthData.gov that empower companies like ours to bring innovative products and services to market using government data.”
Michael Rashid, CEO of AmeriHealth Caritas, located in Philadelphia, PA, said, “With over 40 years of experience in the health care industry, including as CEO of a nationwide managed care network, ensuring equal access to health care for all has long been a top personal and professional priority. I am pleased to have had the opportunity to start an open dialogue with the White House and other members of the community as we work together to encourage health care innovation and improve provider partnerships.
Jennifer Maier, CEO of WDS, located in Lake Wylie, SC, said, “The ACA meeting presented several informative speakers who were very enthusiastic about their role and objectives. These collaborative types of meetings are necessary to reveal other ideas, information, and questions. There are still questions to be answered and some gray areas to be cleared on ACA. I look forward to finding those answers.”
Mark Bakken, CEO of Nordic Consulting, located in Madison, WI, said, “Nordic was honored to be invited to this discussion. The ACA is driving organizations to invest in technology that leads to better care, lower costs, and improved outcomes. These efficiencies will ultimately lead to a healthier America.”
Jonathan Baran, CEO of healthfinch, located in Madison, WI, said, “The briefing was a great opportunity for companies that don't normally get face time with White House officials to voice their questions and concerns as we move into a new era of accountable care.”
Michael Barbouche, Founder & CEO of the Forward Health Group, located in Madison, WI, said, "As more Americans gain health coverage under The Affordable Care Act, the need for data that reveals quality and cost grows. Senior Administration Officials discussed their strategies to advance the use of health care data. I was able to share my perspectives about the current state of health systems, hospitals, and health plans. It was clear to me that the feedback was absorbed, appreciated, and will be acted upon. Karen DeSalvo, MD, the new National Coordinator for Health Information Technology spoke about finding ways to free the data and share it improve patient care. I couldn't agree more, it's why we started our company."
Michael Gotzler, VP & General Counsel of the QTI Group, located in Madison, WI, said, "The ACA presents employers and employees alike with significant new opportunities and challenges. We accepted The White House's invitation to receive input from the employer community because now is the time to more closely address healthcare costs. QTI is not only a large employer with over 8,000 employees of our own, but our mission and purpose is to provide HR advice and guidance to our broad range of clients. For employers, healthcare innovation means getting a bigger return on your healthcare dollars so that you can attract and retain talent. It also means getting better and more meaningful healthcare data so that your employees and their providers can make more informed decisions. During the discussion today, QTI recommended that the Administration continue to allow for employer and employee flexibility as it moves forward with issuing final ACA regulations. We appreciated the dialogue and feedback throughout the discussion.”
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About Business Forward
With the help of more than 50 of the world's most respected companies, Business Forward is making it easier for tens of thousands of business leaders from across America to advise Washington on how to create jobs and accelerate our economic recovery. Together, we have organized hundreds of local briefings with more than 450 senior Administration officials, Members of Congress, mayors and governors.
To date, we have also brought more than 3,000 business leaders to the White House to brief the President's economic advisors. Business leaders who have participated in our briefings have seen their suggestions implemented in the Affordable Care Act, the Jobs Act, three trade agreements and every one of the President's budgets. Many have also shared their recommendations with their representatives in Congress and through op-eds and interviews with local media. Ninety-eight out of 100 business leaders who have participated in a Business Forward briefing would be interested in participating in another one.
For more information please visit http://www.businessfwd.org or contact kayish@businessfwd.org.
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