WASHINGTON, March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of his relentless pursuit of quality, patient safety, performance measurement and accountability in the US health care system, the National Business Group on Health today awarded Arnold Milstein, M.D., MPH, its prestigious Award for Excellence and Innovation in Value Purchasing. Dr. Milstein is the Medical Director of the Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH), the largest health care purchasers coalition in the U.S. He is also U.S. health care thought leader at Mercer Human Resource Consulting. His work and publications focus on health care purchasing strategy, clinical performance measurement, and the psychology of clinical performance improvement.
“The Business Group’s award recognizes his unique accomplishments over 20 years which have led to improvements in the health system, including more transparency and accountability for all purchasers and patients. Dr. Milstein has been a major part of many purchaser-led initiatives that have enabled purchasers and consumers to identify high-quality care and reward those providers who are performing at a higher level,” according to Martin Sepulveda, M.D., FACP, Vice President, Global Well Being Services and Health Benefits at IBM, member of the Board of the Business Group and Chair of its Award Committee.
According to the Business Group companies who nominated him, Dr. Milstein has been one of the most effective national leaders in initiating health benefits management innovations and shepherding their implementation. Shedding new light on performance differences among physicians and among hospitals, he has pioneered in transforming these differences into large measurable gains in performance transparency, quality of care and affordability for employers and their employees. Just a small sampling of these innovations include: 1) the first direct national employer hospital contracting programs that delivered lower prices and quality transparency for both group health and workers’ compensation care for multiple employers such as Chevron, Safeway, GE and Neiman Marcus; 2) the first coalition-directed million-dollar annual quality fund, aimed exclusively at measuring and raising clinical quality among physicians and hospitals in one state; and 3) co- founder and continued leader of the Leapfrog Group, a purchaser-led effort to stimulate “leaps” in the quality and efficiency of hospitals in the US.
“Those who have worked with him over many years know that his success is due to his tireless pursuit of improvements in the health care system, and to his exceptional creativity. He helps define the leading edge, while also making things happen in the real world, a balance which is very hard to maintain. His wit and erudition serve him well as he drives significant change in a system that is still so resistant to change, especially to transparency and accountability for quality and safety. Without his constant pressure, we would have made far less progress toward a high performing health system than we have made. The Business Group is proud to honor his career achievements in this way,” said Helen Darling, President of the National Business Group on Health.
The Business Group annually awards individuals, organizations or programs that encourage the efficient use of health care resources in addition to improving quality and affordability; encourage excellent practices that are started by or involve large employers; or have a proven track record of increasing value in health care through superior purchasing practices or have developed approaches, methodologies and tools that enable outstanding health benefit management practices.
About the National Business Group on Health
The National Business Group on Health, representing 238 members, mostly large employers, is the nation’s only non-profit organization devoted exclusively to finding innovative and forward-thinking solutions to large employers’ most important health care and related benefits issues. The Business Group identifies and shares best practices in health benefits, disability, health and productivity, related paid time off and work/life balance issues. Business Group members, primarily Fortune 500 and large public sector employers, provide health coverage for more than 50 million U.S. workers, retirees and their families.
National Business Group on Health
CONTACT: Michele Ford, National Business Group on Health,+1-202-585-1815, ford@businessgrouphealth.org