June 18, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC – Altarum Institute, a nonprofit health systems research and consulting organization, announced today the three critical attributes it suggests must be addressed in health reform to achieve financial stability and better health outcomes for all Americans.  In a policy seminar held on Capitol Hill and cosponsored by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, the Institute described these attributes as fundamental to truly systemic reform.

The three key attributes of reform proposed by Altarum Institute are:

• Innovation – an evidence-based approach to combining “best practice” with technology and payment-based incentives to achieve efficient, effective care that delivers value to consumers, patients, employers, and government;
• Health and wellness – aggressive leveraging of the non-medical determinants that shape the health of individuals and the population and a focus on building usable evidence regarding the influence of these determinants;
• Health equity – demonstrated linkage of disparities in health and the societal and economic costs they create, with a focus on creating new metrics that help policy makers understand costs and better approaches to broadly apply interventions known to reduce disparities and improve health outcomes.

“The complexity of the health reform debate reflects the many intertwined issues we must address simultaneously if meaningful change is to happen.  The agenda we set forward today is, we believe, a good blueprint for making that happen,” said Lincoln T. Smith, President and CEO of Altarum Institute.  “As systems researchers, we are reminding all stakeholders that this is not a single-issue debate.  We absolutely must recognize its complexity and answer with equally comprehensive, systems-based policies and solutions.  If we do, we might actually succeed in tackling costs, achieving better returns on our investments, and securing better health outcomes.”

Eugene Steuerle of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation reiterated Smith’s point.  “The simple fact is that health reform is not simply a health issue.  Health reform must take shape around the convergence of health, fiscal, education, environmental, and many other policies.  The fiscal realities we face as a nation demand that we look in all of these directions, set priorities, and make difficult but absolutely necessary tradeoffs.”

Altarum, working with its team of Distinguished Scholars drawn from academia and the provider and consumer communities, released extensive research proposals to advance each of the three focus areas discussed at today’s briefing.  These three research papers are available online.

Altarum Institute Distinguished Scholars David A, Kindig , Ph.D., Michael D. Parkinson, M.D., and David R. Williams, Ph.D., with their counterpart Altarum Research Directors Stanley Chin, Jamie Hart, Ph.D., and Holly Korda, Ph.D. will be available to discuss these research and policy priorities in greater detail.
 

Contact Information

Jonathan Orr
703-575-1215
jonathan.orr@altarum.org

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