DANVILLE, Pa., Sept. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Geisinger Health System celebrated 100 years of innovation during "A Century of Transformation and Innovation" Centennial Symposia Sept. 24-25. The two-day event brought together national and state health care leaders to honor Geisinger's history as a health care visionary and pioneer, and to discuss the industry's future.
Day one of the Symposia paid tribute to Geisinger's role in shaping health care in its first 100 years and focused on how Geisinger will continue its innovative spirit into the future. Sessions on day two delved into the evolving national health care landscape.
Surgeon and best-selling author Dr. Atul Gawande was one of the three keynote speakers on the 25th. The Harvard Medical School professor urged care providers to do a better job of talking to their patients in order to provide more precise care, particularly under end of life conditions.
"The most reliable way to learn what people's priorities are is this highly technical thing – you ask them. And we don't," Dr. Gawande said. "We ask less than a third of the time for people who are within six months of death."
Providing higher quality care was also central to keynoter Dr. Mark McClellan, director of the Health Care Innovation and Value Initiative at the Brookings Institution. The former administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), has seen a changing health care culture.
"A lot of organizations aren't on the fence, or even up to the fence, about the shift in health care culture," said Dr. McClellan. "We're trying to deliver the kind of care you'd want for your family members, even if it's not delivered in the way you're used to."
Another former administrator of CMS, Dr. Donald Berwick, addressed provider and payment reform in his Friday keynote. It's necessary in order to curb the unnecessary cost of health care.
"If health care takes up more than 70 percent of the budget, how can you fund other much needed community services?" asked Dr. Berwick, the founding chief executive officer, Institute for Healthcare Improvement. "And one third of the money isn't going to anything at all. This is money being spent on mistakes and waste. The money is there. It's real and it's unacceptable."
Speakers for Geisinger's two-day centennial symposia also included Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Karen Murphy, state lawmakers, university presidents, chamber of commerce leaders, and Geisinger executives.
Geisinger President and CEO Dr. David Feinberg provided the opening and closing remarks both days and participated in a panel discussion on patient-focused health care.
The event culminated Geisinger's centennial celebration.
About Geisinger Health System
Geisinger Health System is an integrated health services organization widely recognized for its innovative use of the electronic health record, and the development of innovative care models such as ProvenHealth Navigator® and ProvenCare®. As one of the nation's largest rural health services organizations, Geisinger serves more than 3 million residents throughout 48 counties in central, south-central and northeast Pennsylvania. The physician-led system is comprised of approximately 23,500 employees, including a 1,200-member multi-specialty group practice, nine hospital campuses, two research centers and a 467,000-member health plan, all of which leverage an estimated $8.9 billion positive impact on the Pennsylvania economy. The health system and the health plan have repeatedly garnered national accolades for integration, quality and service. In addition to fulfilling its patient care mission, Geisinger has a long-standing commitment to medical education, research and community service. For more information, visit www.geisinger.org, or follow the latest Geisinger news and more on Twitter and Facebook.
CONTACT:
Mike Ferlazzo: 570-214-7410, 515-450-2908 (c), [email protected]
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SOURCE Geisinger Health System
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