Center for Studying Health System Change

Find Out What's Going On in Local Health Care Markets Across the Country

HSC Conference on Initial Site Visit Findings Scheduled for Oct. 4

Media Advisory
Sept. 17, 2007

FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Alwyn Cassil (202) 264-3484 or acassil@hschange.org

WASHINGTON, DC—Little has changed in local health care markets since 2005 to break the cycle of rising costs, falling insurance coverage and widening access inequities, according to initial findings from the Center for Studying Health System Change’s (HSC) 2007 site visits to 12 nationally representative communities. As intense competition among hospitals and physicians for profitable specialty services continues, employers and health plans are looking to consumers to take more responsibility for medical costs, lifestyle choices and treatment decisions. While consumer-directed health plans have not gained widespread adoption, other developments-including a heightened emphasis on prevention and wellness, along with nascent provider cost and quality information-are advancing health care consumerism. However, concerns exist about whether these efforts will slow cost growth enough to keep care affordable or whether the growing problem of affordability will derail efforts to decrease the rising number of uninsured Americans and stymie meaningful health care reform.

WHAT: Conference on initial findings from HSC’s sixth round of site visits to 12 health care markets.

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Continental breakfast at 8 a.m.

WHERE: Grand Hyatt Hotel, 1000 H St., N.W., Washington, D.C.

WHO: Paul B. Ginsburg, HSC president; Hoangmai Pham, M.D., HSC senior researcher; Carmela Coyle, American Hospital Association; Karen Ignagni, America’s Health Insurance Plans; Donald W. Fisher, Ph.D., American Medical Group Association; Robert Berenson, M.D., the Urban Institute; Helen Darling, National Business Group on Health; Debra Draper, Ph.D., HSC director of site visits; Jon Christianson, Ph.D., University of Minnesota; Laurie Felland, M.S., HSC health researcher; Daniel Hawkins, National Association of Community Health Centers; Larry Gage, J.D., National Association of Public Hospitals; and Robert Hurley, Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth University.

WHY: Find out about the latest local health care market trends.

At the conference, HSC will release a new Issue Brief, Health Care Cost and Access Challenges Persist: Initial Findings from HSC’s 2007 Site Visits, based on interviews with representatives of health plans, hospitals, physician organizations, major employers, community health centers, consumer advocates and policy makers in the 12 communities-Boston; Cleveland; Greenville, S.C.; Indianapolis; Lansing, Mich.; Little Rock, Ark.; Miami; northern New Jersey; Orange County, Calif.; Phoenix; Seattle; and Syracuse, N.Y.

Register for the conference online at http://www.hschange.org/index.cgi?conf=show&what=22

The Center for Studying Health System Change is a nonpartisan policy research organization committed to providing objective and timely research on the nation’s changing health system to help inform policy makers and contribute to better health care policy. HSC, based in Washington, D.C., is funded principally by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is affiliated with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.