Local Experts Lead Transformation to Improve How Patient Care Delivered

Forum Convened by the Aspen Institute, OSU Wexner Medical Center, and ThinkWellPoint to Showcase Frontline Innovations Improving Health Care Delivery

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Aspen Institute and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, in partnership with ThinkWellPoint, co-hosted a discussion today on "Reinventing Health Care: Frontline Innovations Transforming Local Care Delivery." The event was keynoted by Samuel Nussbaum, MD, Executive Vice President, Clinical Health Policy and Chief Medical Officer, WellPoint, Inc., and participants included leading clinicians, public health officials and policymakers from Ohio and across the Midwest.

At the forum, speakers provided an overview of the Aspen Institute Health Innovation Project's report, "Reinventing Health Care: The Barriers to Innovation," first released in Washington, DC, in March 2012. The report's authors reviewed their findings on recommendations to empower consumers in their own health decisions and engage physicians and providers in the pursuit of innovation. 

Dr. Franmarie Kennedy, Director of the Aspen Institute Health Stewardship Project is excited to continue this critical conversation about innovations in health care. "After defining some of the barriers to innovation in our publication, we want to explore firsthand those innovative programs around the U.S. that are already breaking through barriers and are finding local solutions to our nation's health care problems," said Kennedy. "We want to take the lessons learned from these 'local innovators' and share their success stories with other communities and with policymakers in DC."

A panel of local experts also highlighted efforts happening on the frontlines of care to improve patient health in Ohio and across the Midwest. Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center showcased efforts to transform care, especially through Ohio State's P4 Medicine model, which is driving the Center as a national leader in personalized health care.

"The United States spends more than $2.5 trillion per year on health care, and that astounding statistic, alone, represents a strong case for change. At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, our proactive and personalized approach – P4 Medicine – to health care delivery will result in more precise, cost-effective and, ultimately, higher quality health care for patients," said Dr. Clay Marsh, who is vice dean for research at Ohio State's College of Medicine and executive director of Ohio State's Center for Personalized Health Care. "By creating process-based care models and programs, Wexner Medical Center is creating the future of medicine and defining the ecosystem of health care," Marsh adds.

In addition, recipients of Health Care Innovation Challenge grants from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation provided overviews of their nationally recognized efforts to improve patient care while reducing health spending.

Notable speakers included:

• Samuel Nussbaum, MD, Executive Vice President, Clinical Health Policy and Chief Medical Officer, WellPoint, Inc. (Keynote)
• Basit Chaudhry, MD, PhD, Medical Scientist, IBM Research
• "e-Patient Dave" deBronkart,  Cancer Patient and Blogger
• Steven G. Gabbe, MD, Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, Chief Executive Officer, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
• Kavita Patel, MD, MS, Managing Director for Clinical Transformation and Delivery, Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, The Brookings Institution
• Pam Carr, Executive Director, Partners for Kids
• Tim Kotas, Chief Operating Officer, Welvie

The panels were followed by a roundtable discussion between report authors and local experts, and the event closed with remarks from Dr. Daniel Clinchot, who is vice dean for education at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and associate vice president for health sciences education, and associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

"Working with partners like the Aspen Institute and The Ohio State University," said Sam Nussbaum, MD, "we are able to bring to light innovations at the national and regional levels that are breaking through and solving some of our greatest health care challenges. Innovation is alive in the U.S. and WellPoint is excited to support it. Forums like this are so important because they not only highlight the issues facing our nation's health care system, they showcase talent poised to transform it."

This is the first in a three-event series showcasing regional innovations. Upcoming events will be held in New York, New York on September 21, and San Francisco, California in October. For more information, go to www.thinkwellpoint.com.

About The Aspen Institute

The Aspen Institute's Health Innovation Project is a collaboration of experts whose broad perspectives represent the health care system itself — physicians, health plan leaders, policymakers, health care researchers, and patients — and whose shared intent is to create a delivery system that is coherent, cost-effective, and safe for all. It is an initiative of Aspen's Health Stewardship Project and was launched in partnership with WellPoint, Inc. The Project's forthcoming work will focus on charting a path to the ideal system.  www.aspeninstitute.org/health

The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

About The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is one of the largest and most diverse academic medical centers in the country. It is a top-rated academic medical center nationally and the only academic medical center in central Ohio. Our mission is to improve people's lives through innovation in research, education and patient care. Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center is a national leader in developing personalized health care based on each person's unique biology, behavior and environment. Personalized health care includes educating a new generation of doctors. OSU College of Medicine's LeadServeInspire is the curriculum for tomorrow's medicine, designed to shape the physician for the future. Ohio State attracts clinicians, medical researchers and medical educators from around the world. There are more than 2,000 active research studies taking place at Ohio State in virtually every medical specialty. In July 2012, U.S. News & World Report again recognized Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center as one of the nation's best hospitals.

About WellPoint, Inc.

At WellPoint, we believe there is an important connection between our members' health and well-being—and the value we bring our customers and shareholders. So each day we work to improve the health of our members and their communities. And, we can make a real difference since we have approximately 34 million people in our branded health plans, and approximately 65 million people served through our subsidiaries. As an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, WellPoint serves members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as the Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as the Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), and Wisconsin. In a majority of these service areas, WellPoint's plans do business as Anthem Blue Cross, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, or Empire Blue Cross (in the New York service areas). WellPoint also serves customers across the country through our UniCare subsidiary and in certain California, Arizona and Nevada markets through our CareMore subsidiary. Our 1-800 CONTACTS, Inc. subsidiary offers customers online sales of contact lenses, eyeglasses and other ocular products.  Additional information about WellPoint is available at www.wellpoint.com.  

SOURCE The Aspen Institute