Designing a High Performing Healthcare System

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on March 10, kicking off a series of hearings on “Making Health Care Work for American Families.” The first hearing, entitled “Designing a High Performing Healthcare System,” explored options for designing a high performing healthcare system. In his opening statement Chair of the subcommittee, Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), said that having the hearing “implies that our current system is underperforming.” Each committee member had a chance to express concerns and raise issues about improvements needed in the American healthcare system.

The major themes of the hearing included:

· Health information technology- the costs, benefits and implementation

· Care coordination- access to primary care, utilization of other providers, incentives

· Primary care physician shortages

· Health disparities- minorities, low income, rural

· Physician reimbursement- bundled payments, physician payment equity

· Public vs. private health insurance- one payer system, rationing of services, quality

The following witnesses testified:

· Doug Elmendorf, Director, Congressional Budget Office

· Glenn Hackbarth, Chairman, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)

· Jack C. Ebeler, Vice Chair, Committee on Health Insurance Status and Its Consequences, Institute Of Medicine

· Alan Levine, Secretary, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals

· Atul Gawande, M.D., Assoc. Prof., Dept. Health Policy & Management., Harvard School of Public Health

· M. Todd Williamson, M.D., President, Medical Association of Georgia

The written testimony of each witness and Congressman Pallone, as well as video coverage of the hearing is available on the Committee’s website:
http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1524&Itemid=95