Healthcare Leadership Council

The Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC), a coalition of chief executives from all disciplines within American healthcare, is the exclusive forum for the nation’s healthcare leaders to jointly develop policies, plans, and programs to achieve their vision of a 21st century system that makes affordable, high-quality care accessible to all Americans. More about us

HLC President Offers Health Reform Rx In
Modern Healthcare Magazine.
The following op-ed, "Power Up the Paddles" by Healthcare Leadership Council president Mary R. Grealy appeared in the February 1, 2010 edition of Modern Healthcare magazine." Political analysts and pundits have already begun conducting an autopsy on the Obama administration’s effort to reform America’s healthcare system. Dismal poll results, the Scott Brown Senate victory in Massachusetts and squeamishness over the upcoming November elections have combined, they say, to bring yet another health reform effort to a crashing demise. Call me a stubborn optimist, but I still believe it’s possible to find a cure for this patient rather than give up the ghost. The need to improve our healthcare system is just as imperative today as when this legislative process started. Failure should not be regarded as an option. More details

Medical Liability Lawsuit Produces Anguish, Not Closure
Filing malpractice lawsuits against medical providers seldom yields a satisfactory result for anyone. The New York Times recently ran a compelling op-ed by a Boston doctor. It told of her experience as the target of a lawsuit. The thing that comes through clear as day from this article is how unsatisfactory and even harmful the litigation route can often be. Health leaders have long advocated liability reform as a key part of any health policy solution. This op-ed testifies to that fact. More details

WHO Rating Obscures U.S. Healthcare Excellence
An honest assessment of America’s healthcare performance shows that we lead all nations on the things that count. The World Health Organization’s subjecting weighting system overlooks the factors that spotlight U.S. healthcare innovation and excellence. New Hampshire surgeon Mark Constantian took a more meaningful, honest look recently in the Wall Street Journal. The WHO actually does rank the United States first in the world in “responsiveness to the needs and choices of the individual patient. More details

Fight Against Cancer Gaining Ground
Americans now suffer fewer cancer cases and die from cancer less often, a new report says. The latest data were reported by the online journal Cancer on Dec. 7. “[W]e are effectively fighting cancer at every level: preventing it outright by modifying cancer risk factors; finding it early through effective screening; and treating it ever more effectively,” a Yale medical researcher told HealthDay News This good news comes amidst national debate over health reform. Some proposals Congress is considering could risk reversing the progress against cancer. More details

Poll: Medicare Part D Satisfies Seniors
Nearly all seniors getting the prescription drug benefit in Medicare are well pleased with their coverage. A new survey of Part D beneficiaries shows that the overwhelming majority – 88 percent -- approve of their private Medicare drug plan. KRC Research conducted the poll for the Medicare Today coalition. Coalition co-chairmen Mary Grealy and John Breaux said of the survey results: “Without question, the program has exceeded everyone’s expectations.” The Medicare drug benefit is structured so that seniors gain consumer choice, drug plans compete for seniors’ election, and the competition constrains costs while driving quality improvement. The survey results show that this model has proven wildly successful. More details

Gallup Poll Spotlights Concerns Over Health Legislation
The latest public opinion survey by Gallup has found more Americans are against the latest health reform legislation. The USA Today/Gallup poll of 1,017 adults was taken November 20-22. According to Gallup, the public’s views have been close all along on the issue of health reform. But since October, opposition has steadily grown, indicating that the public has concerns over the direction Congress is taking with health reform legislation. More details

Health Leaders Speak Out About Health Reform. The leaders of some of America’s finest medical institutions have expressed their own concerns about the health legislation Congress is fashioning. Two members of the Healthcare Leadership Council have recently voiced constructive criticism and offered helpful suggestions in prominent news stories. Dr. Denis Cortese of the Mayo Clinic and Toby Cosgrove of the Cleveland Clinic were recently featured in the news. More details

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