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"Reconciling Rising Health Care Costs and Getting Value for Money"Thank you so very much, Karen [Davis], for that kind introduction. Thank you, Karen, and thanks to the entire staff of the Commonwealth Fund. Your creativity and tireless efforts make this event so very special for all of us. I appreciate the opportunity to be here with you and my other friends and colleagues for this important symposium on Reconciling Rising Health Care Costs and Getting Value for Money. I am pleased to welcome the distinguished Ministers of Health and members of their delegations. Let me extend a warm welcome to those who have traditionally come to the Fund's International Symposium - Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Mexico. Let me offer special appreciation to others who have joined us for this year's discussion - including Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Japan. On behalf of President Bush, we are honored and delighted to have you all of you with us. Before continuing, however, I want to take a moment to extend the condolences of my country to the representatives of Australia here this evening as you continue to mourn the terrible loss of life you suffered in the Bali bombing. There were several Americans among those murdered. The citizens of other nations - some of which are represented here this evening - were also among the fallen. Please know that America grieves with you, even as you, on September 11th last year and in the weeks that followed, grieved with us. We are your friends and allies, now and always. Working together, with our friends throughout the civilized world, we will eradicate the thugs and criminals who have, in cold blood, killed so many of our fellow citizens. The perpetrators are not martyrs. They are murderers. And their victims are fallen, but they are not, nor will they be, forgotten. It is especially meaningful to welcome all of you here to the Blair House, which is rich in U.S. history. The House was originally built in 1824. Its first owner, Dr. Joseph Lovell, was the first Surgeon General of the United States Army. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, I find that especially interesting. I'm sure Dr. Lovell would be pleased that we're using his home for this important forum. More recently, President Harry S. Truman and his family lived here from 1948 to 1952, when the White House was undergoing a major renovation. Your visit here this evening adds yet another page to this wonderful home's catalog of distinction. Health is a common priority and basis for bringing countries together - and health is a shared aspiration among people of all nations. All of our countries are facing major challenges - health care costs are rising and current economic downturns are stretching public resources. Yet with challenges come opportunities, and in our time, that means health systems can take new steps to strengthen health care delivery services and improve health outcomes. These include such areas as information technology, quality of care, and patient safety, to name only a few. The topic on the table for the next few days is how we improve the quality and safety of our health care systems while ensuring value for health care dollars spent. There are few more difficult or important issues facing us as we begin a new century. With competing priorities, limited resources, and increasing challenges, it is more urgent than ever that we learn to use our health care dollars as efficiently as possible - without jeopardizing the access to, or quality of, the care our citizens receive. For my country, that challenge is real and growing. While we are on the verge of a whole new era of medicine, one where technology and treatment combine to provide a level of care previous generations could only have dreamt of, the U.S. health care system has grown more and more complex - to the point of being dysfunctional. So, we will have to bring systemic change to the American health care system. I'm not talking about tinkering at the edges. I'm thinking of renewal and transformation. I'm thinking about a system of care that allows health professionals to practice medicine as it should be practiced - with compassion, personal attention, focused knowledge, practiced expertise, limited paperwork and streamlined regulations. But whatever advances we make, we remain steadfast in our goal for the U.S. health care system -- doing the right thing for the right patient at the right time in the right way. This is not only quality medicine - it's efficient, cost-effective medicine. I know that many of you share these concerns. Since becoming Secretary of Health and Human Services, I've traveled throughout Europe and Canada. I've met with many of the world's leading health experts. In the developed world generally, there are profound problems that jeopardize health systems. Our healthcare systems are populated with intelligent and caring professionals working under what often are very difficult circumstances. As policy-makers and healthcare leaders it is our job is to provide an environment in which they can do the work they were trained to do - provide care to those who need it. We must do better, and we will. Evidence-based information and tools can help us eliminate the overuse, under-use, and misuse of healthcare to provide quality medical care for the patient and more effectively manage the costs. We need effective partnerships, which build on the strengths of the private sector, community-based organizations, health care providers, and the research community. For example, when we consider out-of-date technologies and interventions that continue to be used … new technologies and interventions whose claims remain unproven … technologies that are underused and thus do not achieve their potential contribution to health improvement … we see that all contribute to increasing health care costs and reducing the quality and safety of patient care. The insight and feedback health care consumers provide us will give us the data we need to improve the health care system and provide better access to coverage for those in need. The Commonwealth Fund's International Symposium on Health Policy is an important venue for all of us. It provides us with the opportunity for dialogue and interchange among countries grappling with similar challenges by sharing innovations and learning from each other. The Symposium also reinforces mutual collaboration on other issues of shared priority. Bioterrorism remains a global threat for the world and provides us with opportunities for collaboration in public health. All of our national resources were stretched thin when we were attacked on September 11 last year and then when the anthrax mailings brought our first bioterrorism attack. Since then, my Department has worked tirelessly to build our bioterrorism preparedness and public health care system. If there are any beneficial results from the attacks last year, one is that we are substantially strengthening what is already one of the best public health systems in the world. We are getting stronger every day, in part due to our collaboration with countries represented here tonight. Working with other governments has helped us maximize the collective resources necessary to make all of us ready for a public health emergency, including a biological attack. Since September 11, health has become an even more critical bridge to peace between countries. A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of visiting Afghanistan to learn firsthand of the incredible health challenges facing the Afghan government and people. I had the chance to meet with President Karzai to explore how the United States and other countries can better work together with his Administration, using health as one of the critical cornerstones of a peaceful, strong and stable government. So, the fact that you are here at this symposium means that we already have a relationship of common purpose. I don't want the talking and sharing to stop. I would even encourage participants to identify some specific measurable projects that may emerge from the discussions over the next several days. Across the street from us is the White House, where so many great American Presidents have lived as they have led my country, including the current President, George W. Bush. One of those men was Abraham Lincoln, whose compassion, boldness and visionary commitment to justice saved the American union and transformed the American nation. Mr. Lincoln once remarked, "If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend." We have followed his wise counsel. We are united in common cause because we are friends now, and always will be. Once again, my sincere thanks to all of you for being here. I am proud to be part of this ongoing, collaborative effort. Now it is my great personal pleasure to introduce my friend and colleague, the Right Honourable Alan Milburn. Like the rest of us, the United Kingdom is struggling with health system issues of accountability, performance and incentives. During the past several years, the UK has emphasized "clinical governance" or measuring the performance of their providers and the outcomes of their patients. Sir Alan will bring us up-to-date on how the UK has invested their limited resources wisely, with a focus on accountability, quality and patient safety in the health care system. Please welcome the Right Honourable Alan Milburn. Last Revised: October 28, 2002 |
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