Pathways to Universal Coverage: Payment Reform Strategies for Containing Costs

March 20, 2009

Provider payment policy is a hot topic again with the Medicare physician payment system due for a fix and value-based payment and other cost containment/quality schemes on the table as part of the health reform debate. This briefing sponsored by the Alliance and The Commonwealth Fund examined cost containment options in payment reform.

Speakers were:

Stuart Guterman, assistant vice president of The Commonwealth Fund’s Program on Medicare’s Future, and former director of the Office of Research, Development and Information at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Nancy Nielsen, president of the American Medical Association. Prior to her involvement with the AMA, Dr. Nielsen was speaker of the Medical Society of the State of New York House of Delegates and chief medical officer of a large regional health plan in the Buffalo area.

Bruce Hamory, executive vice president and system chief medical officer emeritus at Geisinger Health System. His current responsibilities include Geisinger’s research institutes, and medical and postgraduate education programs.

Robert Berenson, senior fellow at the Urban Institute and former director of Medicare payment policy and private health plan contracting in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Ed Howard and Karen Davis of The Commonwealth Fund moderated.

Transcript

Full Transcript (Adobe Acrobat PDF)

Speaker Presentations

Guterman Presentation (PowerPoint)
Berenson Presentation (PowerPoint)
Hamory Presentation (PowerPoint)
Nielsen Presentation (PowerPoint)

Event Details

Speaker Biographies (Adobe Acrobat PDF)

Event Resources