Geisinger CEO urges Senate to change healthcare reimbursement

Sept. 16, 2008 WASHINGTON, DC – Geisinger Health System President and CEO Glenn D. Steele, MD, PhD, testified before the United States Senate Finance Committee today about the need to improve healthcare quality and access. His solution is using innovation to improve how healthcare is paid for and delivered.
 
“We need to reward good clinical practice and not reward bad practice,” Dr. Steele said. “Paying for admitting a patient to the hospital for an infection that should have been prevented is not acceptable.”
 
The hearing focused on improving the delivery of healthcare in the United States. In his testimony, Dr. Steele noted that Geisinger’s Medical Home program, which provides 24/7 access to a dedicated nurse for Geisinger’s sickest patients, has reduced hospital admissions by 24% and readmissions by 18.5%.
 
Geisinger, said Dr. Steele, has also improved results with its ProvenCare one-price elective cardiac surgery program. “We’ve had a reduction in complications of 21%, sternal infections fell 25%, readmissions decreased by 44%, and the average hospital stay decreased by half a day,” Steele said. “Costs for treatment decreased, too.”
 
Geisinger detailed its innovation program in an article in the September issue of Health Affairs. The article explained how Geisinger’s electronic health record serves as a framework for healthcare delivery redesign and reflects Geisinger's willingness to serve as a resource in the nation’s continuing effort to transform healthcare delivery.
 
Dr. Steele’s testimony today focused on three areas of promise: reward healthcare providers and programs that improve healthcare value; recognize that the electronic health record is necessary - but not sufficient - to changing care delivery; and create policies to encourage greater organization of care delivery and collaboration among payers and providers to promote innovations that improve value and the patient experience.
 
Dr. Steele’s full testimony can be accessed at www.senate.gov/~finance/hearings/testimony/2008test/091608gstest.pdf

About Geisinger Health System
Founded in 1915, Geisinger Health System (Danville, PA) is one of the nation’s largest integrated health services organizations.  Serving more than two million residents throughout central and northeastern Pennsylvania, the physician-led organization is at the forefront of the country's rapidly emerging electronic health records movement. Geisinger is comprised of two medical center campuses, three hospitals, a 720-member group practice, a not-for-profit health insurance company and the Henry Hood Center for Health Research—dedicated to creating innovative new models for patient care, satisfaction and clinical outcomes. For more information, visit www.geisinger.org