From May 5-7, 2009, Thomson Reuters hosted its annual Healthcare Advantage Conference. The gathering of about 400 Thomson Reuters customers, themed Strategies for a Challenging Environment, took place at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel in San Diego, Calif. This annual conference is unique because it brings clients from across the healthcare industry together under one roof – hospitals, healthcare providers, clinicians, employers, health plans and governments.
This year’s lineup of speakers included Andrew Webber, President and CEO, National Business Coalition on Health; leading healthcare economists Jonathan Gruberand Uwe Reinhardt; New York Times bestselling author Jason Jennings; and Kaveh Safavi, vice president and global lead, healthcare practice, Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group. Each day, keynote speakers and presentations from Thomson Reuters leaders were followed by industry-specific breakout sessions and networking activities.
Webber called for healthcare reform from the “bottom up” – not from Washington. There is no national healthcare solution, he said, and recommended that employers, health plans, consumers, governments and providers work together to determine the best solution in their own communities.
Gruber and Reinhardt provided different perspectives on the economics of healthcare. Gruber called for a nationalization of a system such as the Massachusetts Reform Act, which mandates healthcare coverage for all residents of the state. Reinhardt talked about the negative trends in today’s U.S. healthcare system and how having reputable data can help us make better decisions leading to lasting reform.
Safavi examined the emerging trends in healthcare services this year – including trends in economics, demand, financial and clinical performance, consumerism and technology – and questioned why the cost of healthcare is so high in the U.S. despite our low rate of utilization.
And finally, Jennings shared his five secrets of the world’s best leaders and companies – based on his research of organizations that are the fastest, most productive, show the most consistent growth, and have the best-performing CEOs.
The events of the week culminated on the final evening with the Healthcare Advantage Awards, which honor Thomson Reuters customers who use our products and solutions to improve their business results and quality of care.
Keystone Mercy and AmeriHealth Mercy health plans and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare were named overall Healthcare Advantage Award winners for 2009. They topped a list of accomplished organizations who won awards throughout the night.
Click here for details on the 2009 Healthcare Advantage Award winners.
Click here for photo highlights from the conference. (For conference attendees only; password required).
