US Surgeon General, GE Chairman/CEO, 41 other national health care experts to gather in Seattle
Sept. 29, 2010 - Insurance reform alone won't solve the nation's health-care crisis. Real solutions will also require dramatically changing the way health care is delivered. Fortunately, individual communities throughout the country are piloting new and innovative ways to improve the way health care is delivered at the local level, from providing more health care in the home to using technology to remotely consult and even treat patients in rural areas. As a result, they're reducing the cost of health care in their community while also improving quality and increasing access.
To help providers, business leaders and policy makers from different parts of the country learn more about what local communities are doing, Swedish is hosting a national symposium in Seattle Oct. 11-12 titled 'Innovation in the Age of Reform.' The line-up features more than 40 speakers, including:
- Regina Benjamin, M.D., U.S. Surgeon General
- Jeffrey Immelt, GE Chairman and CEO
- Anthony Rodgers, CMS Deputy Administrator Center for Strategic Planning and Innovation
- Paul Speranza, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Chair Elect and Vice Chair of Wegmans Food Markets
- Bill Foege, M.D., Gates Foundation Senior Fellow, Global Health Program
- Barbara Spurrier, Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation Administrative Director
- Bruce Leff, M.D, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Associate Professor
- Plus dozens more
Swedish has organized this event as part of its centennial year. Founded in 1910, Swedish is celebrating 100 years of serving Greater Seattle as a local nonprofit health-care provider. "Instead of throwing a big party to celebrate our centennial, we wanted to do something meaningful that would make a difference both in our local community and the national dialogue," said Swedish CEO Rod Hochman, M.D.
"Given the state of health care and the economy, this is a challenging time for everyone, and not just for physicians and health-care administrators. Business leaders are severely hindered by the rising cost of employee health plans, and even with new legislation, there will still be many individuals who will not have adequate access to health care. Everyone is affected by the health-care crisis, so it will take all of us working together at the local level to truly fix the problem," said Dr. Hochman.
"With this event, our goal is to bring together leading thinkers in the field, policy makers, business leaders, clinicians and the educators who are responsible for training the health-care work force of the future to discuss the issues and learn from each other. We are very excited about the line-up and believe it will lead to provocative dialogue and ultimately help facilitate real solutions," Dr. Hochman said.
The symposium will also feature a special appearance by 'rap troubadour' Baba Brinkman, who has written a special 'rap' about health care for this event. Brinkman is known for taking complicated topics and turning them into musical raps, such as 'The Rap Canterbury Tales' and 'The Rap Guide to Evolution,' which he originally created for a conference of evolutionary biologists in Birmingham, England. Brinkman has been featured in The New York Times and on MSNBC.
Provided by Swedish Medical Center
