President’s Executive Order Extended to Business Community

To sign the Statement of Support for the Four Cornerstones
of Value-Driven Health Care, contact Jennifer LaMere at (414) 433-4984.

Transparency is a critical component of changing the way health care is used, managed and delivered. That’s why the Business Health Care Group is supporting President George W. Bush’s call for employers nationwide to sign letters of commitment to health care transparency.

This extends the executive order issued last summer—in which President Bush directed federal agencies that administer or sponsor federal health insurance programs to increase cost and quality transparency, effective health information technology standards and incentives for consumers and providers—to the business community.

The BHCG is facilitating the President’s request by providing interested businesses in southeastern Wisconsin with a copy of the commitment letter in support of the following "Four Cornerstones of Value-Driven Health Care” as identified by the federal Department of Health and Human Services:

• Health Information Technology
• Quality Information
• Pricing Information
• Quality and Efficiency of Care

Business leaders who sign the statement are pledging to implement and advance these measures. As more businesses stand behind these goals, together we can lay the foundations for better patient care, higher quality service and increased value in the health care marketplace—which is of pressing importance in our region, where health care costs are significantly higher than the national average.

Statement Introduced at Summit
The Four Cornerstones of Value-Driven Health Care and their implications for the health care marketplace were key topics of discussion in November at Implementing Health Care Transparency: A National Summit for Employers on the President’s Executive Order in Washington, D.C.

Dianne Kiehl, Executive Director of the BHCG, was a co-presenter at the event. The summit was convened by the Business Roundtable, a national organization of chief executive officers from across the country.

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