Value in Health - Day One Post 3

Posted by ED Wednesday a.m.

Tuesday's first panel was led by Joe Fortuna. The panel focused on the economic imparatives of the "value-driven healthcare movement": reducing costs and improving quality. June St. John, Eric Racine, David Hom, and Edward Rutkowski were the scheduled participants.

Background
The Joint Taskgroup for Value In Health was organized by the Medical Banking Project and the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) to organize pilot programs that demonstrate how banks can improve the quality of healthcare as opposed to focusing strictly on how banks can reduce transaction costs.

AIAG is a globally recognized organization founded in 1982 by a group of visionary managers from DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors; to provide an open forum where members cooperate in developing and promoting solutions that enhance the prosperity of the automotive industry. AIAG's focus is to continuously improve business processes and practices involving trading partners throughout the supply chain.

At MBProject’s 2006 DC Leadership Forum, a spokesperson for the 1600-employer strong AIAG suggested that banks could impact healthcare in ways that go beyond reduction in costs. Entitled “I Have A Dream”, Joe Fortuna, MD, CMO for Delphi Corporation and leader of AIAG’s Health Focus area, outlined new directions for banking. Dr. Fortuna also serves as the AIAG representative on the Advisory Board of MBProject’s C.O.M.B.A.T. Initiative.

After several meetings and a feasibility session that met in Detroit with the major automakers, large banks, a state medical society, a hospital forum and others, MBProject and AIAG decided to launch a new joint effort that will promote the bank’s role in fostering “value in health”. This effort looks beyond reducing transaction costs to utilizing the entire enterprise to support better choices for health and healthcare.

Working Efforts
MBProject and AIAG will foster an open dialogue through multiple sessions at MBProject forums and the AIAG AutoMed show. In addition, the Joint Taskgroup is scheduling meetings in Detroit throughout 2007.

While the mission, strategy and objectives of the Joint Taskgroup are in draft mode, the group is expected to formally support one or more E/PHR Use Cases that will be implemented under the C.O.M.B.A.T. Initiative. As pilot programs are executed, results will be made available to Members at our forums and summaries will be communicated through the Institute series and other appropriate channels.

Participants : (as of 9/2006)
Automotive Industry Action Group
Arvin Meritor
BearingPoint, Inc.
DaimlerChrysler
Ford Motor Company
Medical Banking Project
Michigan State Medical Society
Novartis
PNC Bank
PPG Industries
President’s Council, Medical Banking Institute
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC
Sanofi-Aventis
Wachovia N.A.

For more information call the Medical Banking Project at 615.794.2009 or visit www.mbproject.org. You can also leave a comment at the blog post and MBP will follow up.