MCOL Blog

What’s Going on at ChangeNow4Health:

We’ve written before about ChangeNow4Health, the open coalition committed to improving the nation’s health care system through the facilitation of action. Below is their latest press release, which announces their Innovation xChnage, inviting and even funding new ideas on how to fix health care today:

ChangeNow4Health, an open coalition committed to improving the U.S. health care system, today launched a series of new online programs to further drive dialogue and transformation in the health care system. Announced at the World Health Care Congress in Washington, D.C. , these programs range from Health Expert Blogs led by national health care consultants to the new “Innovation xChange,” which is an ongoing campaign designed to invite and reward new ideas that address issues in our current health care system.

“ Our health care system is seriously dysfunctional and it’s time we all come together and do something about it,” said Jacque Sokolov, a nationally recognized health care consultant and one of ChangeNow4Health’s founding partners. “T he U.S. spent almost $2.2 trillion in 2007 [1] , but we are not seeing corresponding improvements in quality of care. ChangeNow4Health is designed to be an online, real-time catalyst and clearinghouse that action-oriented individuals can use to propose solutions and start solving problems now.” [ [1] “Health Spending Projections Through 2017: The Baby-Boom Generation is Coming to Medicare,” Health Affairs 27, no. 2 (2008): w145-w155 (published online 26 February 2008)]

ChangeNow4Health is dedicated to improving the way consumers receive, and the industry delivers and administers health care services. The coalition seeks to incubate, expand and make available solutions that are working in one part of the industry and can bring positive change to others.

Through the Innovation xChange, ChangeNow4Health is inviting all participants in health care system to submit practical ideas and solutions. All participants, from providers and health plans to consumers and government, can join in the discussion by simply logging on to www.ChangeNow4Health.com and submitting their ideas in the Innovation xChange. Solutions can be entered in the following four categories:

1. Helping Consumers Make Smarter Health Care Decisions

2. Simplifying the Business of Health Care

3. Preventing Sickness and Maintaining Health

4. General Innovations in Health Care

A panel of industry experts will evaluate all ideas based on criteria, including feasibility for implementation, potential to yield tangible, measurable results and to bring about meaningful change in a reasonable time frame.

All entries submitted on www.changenow4health.com will be open to voting by the coalition’s online communities. The top 20 entries will be published in the ChangeNow4Health e-book, Tomorrow’s Health Care, and finalists will be awarded up to $10,000. (Up to three entries will be awarded $10,000.)

In addition, Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), one of the founding members of the coalition, will consider the possibility of a joint venture to incubate the winning idea and bring it to reality through the company’s Innovation Center. Winners will be announced by Aug. 31, 2008.

“The basic premise behind this Innovation xChange is that no one entity can fix the system and a good idea can come from anyone,” said Beth Bierbower, vice president of Product Innovation, Humana. “ The technology and structure of the Innovation xChange allows anyone, regardless of age, sex, professional background, to be part of a solution. The virtual forum and workgroups encourage collaboration, focused thinking and the development of easily actionable solutions.”

In addition to the Innovation xChange, the coalition announced two other online programs to drive dialogue and build support for various solutions. These include:

· National Healthcare Expert Blog Topic Forum : Starting June 1, Dr. Jacque Sokolov, a nationally recognized health care consultant, will launch a new blog bringing together some of the nation’s leading health care thinkers to discuss critical health care issues in one common forum. The blog will feature prominent health care experts and touch upon various topics, including the need for successful quality initiatives, hospital-physician productivity enhancement and a sustainable national health care financing model.

· Point-Counterpoint : To further spur discussions in various ChangeNow4Health communities, the coalition will launch a new Point Counterpoint forum where prominent health care bloggers and experts can put forth dissenting opinions and build actionable consensus on key solutions. During each online forum, two health care bloggers will present differing positions on an issue and members can join in with their opinions.

For more information or to join in the conversation, please visit www.changenow4health.com.