Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center Hosts Second National Symposium on Health Care Reform

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

WHAT: Next week, Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center will convene 400 health care thought leaders in Lansdowne, Va., to create health care reform action plans based upon common principles, and prioritize a handful of policy recommendations for the private and public sectors, including the next president of the United States.

Over the last two years, Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center has gathered input from hundreds of patients and national experts through a series of events to help develop a new, consensus-driven vision for health care in America. Participants recommended four areas of focus: individual ownership of insurance for all, coordinated care, value and payment reform.

WHO: Influential leaders and experts from the following sectors will be an integral part of this second symposium:

• Patients
• Academia
• Business and labor
• Health insurance coverage
• Health care
• Medical industry
• Patient advocacy
• Public policy

WHEN: March 9–11, 2008

News media who are interested in attending the event must be credentialed. Please visit www.mayoclinic.org/healthpolicycenter/2008-symposium.html.

NOTE: A telephone media briefing about symposium results will be held at 3:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 11. Call-in details will be sent closer to that date.

WEBCAST: To view the keynote sessions by Webcast, go to www.mayoclinic.org/healthpolicycenter. Below is a description of the keynote sessions. For a complete list of panelists, see www.mayoclinic.org/healthpolicycenter/speakers08.html.

BLOG: Media unable to attend but interested in covering the event can follow the discussion and review sessions on the symposium blog, at http://healthpolicyblog.mayoclinic.org.

MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2008
Welcome—Overview of Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center
8:30–8:45 a.m. ET
Co-hosts Pat Mitchell and Robert Smoldt welcome participants to the event. Denis Cortese, M.D., President and CEO of Mayo Clinic, shares Mayo Clinic's organizational commitment and vision.

Building a Mandate for Change
8:30–10 a.m.
The urgency to change health care in America is real. And so are obstacles to change. But the obstacles are not insurmountable. In this forward-looking session, Tom Brokaw — author, former anchor and award-winning news editor of NBC Nightly News — and panel members will examine ways that we, as a nation, can overcome obstacles and create the environment necessary for change. The discussion will begin by juxtaposing viewpoints about reform; panelists then will focus on what will be required from Americans to make change a reality.

Panelists:
Helen Darling, National Business Group on Health
James Guest, president and CEO, Consumers Union
Gary Kaplan, M.D., president and CEO, Virginia Mason Medical Center
Ian Morrison, Ph.D., Institute for the Future
Michael Porter, Ph.D., Harvard University
Dennis Rivera, Service Employees International Union

Cornerstones of a New Approach
10:15–11:30 a.m.
Tom Brokaw leads this session examining the Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center's principles for reform and the policy forums that shaped them. During the forums, challenging discussions paved the way for consensus. Brokaw will engage participants from the forums in a discussion about the cornerstone concepts of the reform principles, and the process and mindset that allowed forum participants to reach consensus.

Your Voice New Vision
In Their Own Words: What Patients Want in a New Health Care System
Noon–1:30 p.m.
Joanne Silberner, health policy correspondent with National Public Radio, moderates this real-world reality check about the Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center's reform principles. In the context of focus group and national survey data, along with video interviews from people around the country, the public's perception and acceptance of these reform principles will be examined. An expert panel will discuss what these findings mean for reform efforts. The discussion will be a springboard for symposium participants to discuss ways to motivate the public and ensure that the patient's voice remains relevant throughout the reform process.

Panelists:
Nancy Davenport-Ennis, president and CEO, National Patient Advocate Foundation
Harold Freeman, M.D., The Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention
Sanne Magnan, M.D., Minnesota Department of Health Melissa Ortega, patient
M. Cass Wheeler, American Heart Association

Surveying the Landscape: Examining the Health Care Reform Proposals of the Leading Presidential Candidates
7:30–9 p.m.
Cokie Roberts, National Public Radio and ABC News, moderates this examination of the health reform proposals of the presidential candidates and how they relate to the recommendations of Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center. After discussion by expert panelists, representatives of the candidates' campaigns will be given the opportunity to share ways each candidate would ensure that health care reform becomes a reality during their administration.

Panelists:
Karen Davis, Ph.D., Commonwealth Fund
Elizabeth McGlynn, Ph.D., RAND Corporation
Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post
Representatives from the Senator Clinton, Senator McCain and Senator Obama campaigns

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2008
Creating a Plan for Action
1:30–2:30 p.m. ET
This session will present the work that participants completed in break-out sessions, summarizing actions users, purchasers and providers of care can take that will contribute to positive health care reform and have the best chance of implementation. The group will discuss potential barriers and ways to surmount those barriers. Participants will collectively prioritize all of the recommendations.

Presenters:
Aaron Brown, former anchor, CNN
Ceci Connolly, Washington Post (on leave)
Shannon Brownlee, author and journalist

Closing Remarks
2:30–3 p.m.
Denis Cortese, M.D., provides closing comments and next steps that Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center will take to further the ideas generated by participants.

Media briefing
3:15–3:45 p.m.
More details to follow.

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