Notes from Eric Feb. 1, 2012
10 reasons why we can’t ignore health care costs
Many of us have heard the mantra our whole careers: To improve health—and the quality of American life—we must stem the rising cost of care. Health care’s percentage of the U.S. gross domestic product has doubled since 1980. At this rate, by 2040, health care will consume one of every three dollars.
With a U.S. debt crisis and a presidential election looming—and with Group Health paying continually rising prices for care purchased outside our own group practice—the cost-containment drumbeat can seem deafening. But here are 10 reasons why rising costs matter now more than ever:
1. Dollars spent on health care could go to education and other needs. As former White House Advisor Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, PhD, recently wrote, “The more we spend on health care,
E. Bowles
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- New tests enhance research on how well people understand health messages
- Pediatric medical homes increase health care use—but not costs
- There’s ‘a room’ for health literacy in the medical home
- Nurse-led disease management helps urban minorities lower blood pressure
- New model can guide vaccine policy when supply runs short
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Should women start breast cancer screening at age 40 or 50? Every year or every other year? By mammography or breast MRI? As patients and physicians ask these and related questions, confident answers require solid evidence.
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Sarah Greene becomes director of strategy, business development at Group Health
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EVENTS
UW lecture on physician leadership
Thursday, Feb. 2, 4-5 p.m.: Charles W. Bodemer Lecture, “The Physician Leadership We Need,” featuring Len Nichols, PhD, director of the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics at George Mason University. Hosted by the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine Department of Bioethics and Humanities.
Wednesday, Feb. 22, 4-5 p.m.:
“Q-learning for estimating optimal dynamic treatment rules from observational data.” Erika Moodie, PhD, MSc, MPhil, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Occupational Health at McGill University.
Tuesday, March 13, 4-5 p.m.: “Twenty years of cardiovascular disease research.” GHRI Affiliate Investigator and UW Professor of Epidemiology Susan Heckbert, MD, PHD, MPH; and Director of the Seattle Epidemiology and Information Resource Center Nicholas Smith, PhD, MPH.
Save the date
April 29-May 2: 18th Annual HMO Research Network Conference “Learning Health Care Systems: Leading Through Research.” Hosted by GHRI in Seattle.
Monday, April 30, 7:30-10:45 a.m.: 13th Annual Hilde and Bill Birnbaum Endowed Lecture and Panel Discussion, featuring Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP. HMORN conference participants are invited to attend.
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