FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 05, 2008
Nation's Leading Health Care Providers and Unions to Share Solutions with Congressional Leaders for Health Care Crisis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2008
Contact: Kate Navarro-McKay, 646-246-5906
Eleven Initiatives Preview National Opportunities to Control Costs, Improve Quality of Care
As the national call to find a solution to America's broken healthcare system emerges as a key driver in yesterday's election of Barack Obama and a slate of Congressional seats, the nation's largest joint labor-management healthcare coalition released a report today on how they are tackling the most expensive problem in our nation's healthcare system: the escalating social, economic, and individual costs of treating and managing chronic disease.
According to the report, issued by the Partnership for Quality Care (PQC) and edited by Dr. Kenneth E. Thorpe of Emory University, there are proven strategies to combat the chronic disease that accounts for 7 out of 10 deaths in America and 75 cents of every healthcare dollar our country spends. Nearly 50% of Americans suffer from a chronic condition such as high blood pressure, diabetes, congestive heart failure, or asthma: www.pcq-usa.org.
"Our nation needs to find a way to ensure high quality care is affordable for every family," said George Halvorson, CEO of Kaiser Permanente and Chair of the Partnership for Quality Care. "Too often, we are told that increasing access to healthcare is only possible if costs are raised and quality lowered. In fact, leading health care providers have already implemented programs that contain costs, expand access, and, most importantly, improve the quality of care for chronic patients. That points the way to nationwide reform."
"Families have seen their healthcare costs skyrocket while wages have stagnated. Americans are struggling to afford basic necessities these days; they can't afford to wait any longer for a solution to our healthcare crisis," said Dennis Rivera, Chair of SEIU Healthcare, which represents over 1.1 million nurses and healthcare workers.
National Models, National Voice
The Partnership for Quality Care cares for 60 million patients each year and its patients are constituents in more than 175 Congressional districts. Today, every member of Congress was sent a copy of the PQC report, and while Congress is out of session, PQC members will begin briefing Congressional leaders and staff in their home districts on the report's findings and the importance of quality in the delivery of care.
"As our nation is driven to action by increasing costs and decreasing access, improving the quality of healthcare must be the engine that drives reform," said Ken Raske, President and CEO of the Greater New York Hospital Association. "And as these solutions demonstrate, it's key that we take full advantage of the advances in information technology and systems engineering that will deliver better care at lower cost."
Entitled "Quality, Cost Control, Universal Healthcare," the report shares success stories of managing and treating chronic care from hospitals and care systems throughout the country, including: Kaiser Permanente, the Mayo Clinic, Montefiore Medical Center, HealthPartners, Daughters of Charity Health System, Massachusetts General Hospital, Jackson Health System, Catholic Healthcare West, and Group Health Cooperative.
Improving Quality, Addressing Healthcare Disparities, Empowering Patients
The report found that any national healthcare reform effort should focus on the following policy areas to improve outcomes in chronic care, including:
- Improving quality and effectiveness of care delivery to ensure better health outcomes at lower costs;
- Changing delivery systems to address healthcare disparities; and
- Empowering patients and consumers to share responsibility for cost and quality.
Through the coming year, the PQC plans to build on the public mandate for reform in our healthcare system. The organization's core mission has been and will remain ensuring that everyone in America has affordable access to the highest quality healthcare. Within this mandate, key areas of focus will include: ensuring the healthcare workforce has the training, support, and expertise to guarantee access to high quality care for all patients; addressing healthcare disparities; focusing on healthcare information technology; empowering patients to better direct and manage their own care; and building a stronger healthcare system that prioritizes the coordination of care across all providers for all health care conditions.
About the Partnership for Quality Care (PQC)
The PQC is a national joint labor-management coalition committed to ensuring quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans. It includes public, private, religious, teaching, and non-profit hospitals and integrated health systems and more than one million nurses, doctors and healthcare workers.
The PQC cares for more than 60 million patients each year and its members include: Service Employees International Union, SEIU Healthcare, the Greater New York Hospital Association, Kaiser Permanente, Partners Healthcare, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, Catholic Healthcare West, Daughters of Charity Healthcare System, Group Health Cooperative, HealthPartners, Jackson Health System, Allina Hospitals and Clinics, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota, SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW, United Healthcare Workers West, SEIU Local 1991 and the Committee of Interns and Residents of SEIU Healthcare.
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