Healthcare Reform: What You're Not Hearing in the National Debate - A Symposium

Sept. 12, 2011 - PRLog -- “Figuring out how to control healthcare costs, yet have access to quality healthcare services, is one of the most critical issues facing us today.”

September 22, 2011 / 8am-6:30pm / Westchester Marriott /Tarrytown, NY


(White Plains, New York)………… With the enactment of the Healthcare Reform Act, change is in the wind, and that is spurring passionate debate on spending, costs, and direction. But according to Bill Mooney, President of the Westchester County Association (WCA), “it’s not just an issue of government spending at a time of record deficits, it’s about exposing the true cost drivers of healthcare and figuring out what to do about them.” That, he says, will be the focus of one of the most provocative and interesting conferences this year in the New York metro region.

“Healthcare Reform: What You’re Not Hearing in the National Debate” is a significant all-day symposium, organized by the WCA’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Healthcare Reform, that will be held on September 22, 8 am to 6:30 pm, at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, New York. It features some of the nation’s leading authorities on healthcare who will address tort reform, insurance company profits, unsustainable medical costs, new models of healthcare delivery, transparency, regulatory issues, and how the new legislation will affect businesses.

The keynote speakers are: Herbert Pardes, MD, CEO of New York-Presbyterian Hospital; Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Mt. Sinai Medical Center; and Paul Keckley, PhD, Executive Director, Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. Among the stellar panelists are: Daniel Sisto, President, Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS);
Laurel Pickering, MPH, Executive Director, Northeast Business Group on Health; Kevin Dahill, President & CEO, Suburban Hospital Alliance of New York State; Susan Stuard, Executive Director, THINC;  William Golden, CEO, United Healthcare New York; Martin Bienstock Partner, Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker LLP; and Nancy E. Taylor, Esq., former Health Policy Director for Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. [See full list of panelists and participants below.]

“Figuring out how to control healthcare costs, yet have access to quality healthcare services, is one of the most critical issues facing us today,” says William Harrington, Esq , Chairman of The Blue Ribbon Task Force on Healthcare Reform, which was created by WCA in 2005 to address the growing cost to business of health care premiums and financial instability of the region’s healthcare delivery system. The work of the Task Force led to groundbreaking legislation in New York State that addressed unethical market conduct by the insurers, and the reinstatement of rate review authority by the State Insurance Department, among other things.

Says Harrington: “We need to take a look at the disparity of reimbursement among insurers. What does that mean for businesses? And what will Obamacare fix? Healthcare is a critical industry that affects all of us. We need to expose the issues in an understandable, coherent manner, then follow up with credible recommendations. But before you address a problem, you need to understand it and all of its ramifications, and that’s what we’ve set out to do.”  

“Heathcare Reform: What You’re Not Hearing in the National Debate” will be especially fruitful for healthcare providers, business owners, hospital administrators and trustees, municipal and elected officials, employers, and anyone who is interested in learning more about the implications of healthcare reform.


Tickets are $325.  For further information, please contact Julia Salem at  jsalem@westchester.org or 914-948-6444. Also visit www.wcahealthcare.com.

Sponsors are as follows:
Title sponsors: ENT and Allergy Associates, LLP and Optimum Lightpath
Gold sponsors: Abigail Kirsch, BleakleyPlatt, Broadview Networks, Hudson Valley Hospital Center, Northern Westchester Hospital, Lawrence Hospital Center, Corporate, Health Quest, Pace University, Phelps Memorial Hospital Center, New York Meidcal College, NewYork-Presbyterian, O’Connor Davies Munns & Dobbins, LLP, Saint Joseph’s Medical Center, Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester, Westchester Medical Center, White Plains Hospital Center
Panel One sponsor: UnitedHealthCare
Panel Two sponsors: WESTMED Medical Group, Nextgen Healthcare
Panel Three sponsor:  Opus Advisory Group,, LLC
Luncheon Keynote sponsor: GreenbergTraurig
Promotional Partners: HTNYS, Suburban Hospital Alliance, Pace University (Dyson College of Arts & Sciences), WHRMA, Medical Society of the County of Westchester, Dominican Sisterms Family Health Service
Networking Reception sponsors: AliGraphics, CCLEAN, Grayrock Memorials, Paraco Gas, TD Bank, Wilson Elser

THE DETAILS:

MORNING KEYNOTE: Dr. Herbert Pardes, CEO, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Topic: “A Ray of Light in the Midst of Turmoil”

LUNCHEON KEYNOTE: Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Mount Sinai Medical Center

Topic: “Affordable Care Act; A Hospital Perspective”

CLOSING KEYNOTE: Paul Keckley, PhD, Executive Director, Deloitte Center for Health Solutions
Topic: “The U.S. Health System: Looking Ahead”

PANEL 1 – An Unsustainable System: Understanding the Real Cost Drivers of Healthcare

Lack of Tort Reform for Medical Malpractice Issues; Premium Increases vs. Insurance Profits; Misaligned Payment Incentives Between Provider Groups; Unsustainable Medical Costs Per Patient; The Impact of Radical Cost Reductions
Sponsor: United Healthcare
Moderator: Nancy E. Taylor, Esq., Co-Chair, Health and FDA Business Practice, Greenberg Traurig, LLP and Former Health Policy Director for Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources
- Daniel Sisto, President, Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS)

- William Golden, CEO, United Healthcare New York

- Kevin Dahill, President & CEO, Suburban Hospital Alliance of New York State

- Russ Rudish, Vice Chairman and U.S. Health Care Providers Sector Leader,
 Deloitte Consulting LLP

- Dr. Joseph Tartaglia, Immediate Past President, Westchester County Medical Society

PANEL 2 – Integrated Systems: New Models of Healthcare Delivery

Technology Implications; The Impact of Federal Healthcare Reform and Accountable Care Organizations; Creation of Integrated Delivery Systems; Employer Insurance Mandates and Penalties; Establishment of Medical Homes; Regulatory Issues
Sponsors: NextGen Healthcare and WESTMED Medical Group
Moderator: – Susan Stuard, Executive Director, THINC and Former Director of Technology Policy Development at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Panelists:

- Joanne Cunningham, President, Home Care Association of New York State

- Michael Weber, President & CEO, HealthQuest

- Dr. Simeon Schwartz, President & CEO, WESTMED Medical Group

PANEL 3: What Health Insurance will Look Like in the Future and How Businesses Can Take Control of Its Costs

Insurance Exchanges and the future of Healthcare Insurance; What Employers Should Look for when Purchasing Insurance; Innovative Ways to Manage Costs of Employer and Employees; Wellness Programs and Patient Responsibilities
Moderator: Troy Oechsner, Deputy Superintendent for Health, NYS Insurance Department
Panelists:
- Russell Carpentieri, Principal, Opus Advisory Group

- Susanne Madden, President & CEO, The Verden Group

- Martin Bienstock Partner, Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker LLP
- Laurel Pickering, MPH, Executive Director, Northeast Business Group on Health


The Westchester County Association (www.westchester.org) is the preeminent business membership organization in Westchester County, committed to business advocacy, economic vitality and to providing a strong and clear voice for the interests of businesses on the regional, national and international levels.