BLOOMINGTON, Minn., June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Dave Durenberger and two other Upper Midwest commissioners from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission will join MedPAC executive director, Mark Miller at HealthPartners to gather input about Medicare from health care leaders and providers in Minnesota. MedPAC is an independent federal body established to advise the U.S. Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program.
“Minnesota health care is a national model for providing good value for Medicare,” said Mary Brainerd, president and CEO of HealthPartners, sponsor of the event. “This forum is a rare opportunity for Minnesota health care leaders to inform MedPAC about health care issues unique to our area that have a direct impact on the care and service for 660,000 Medicare beneficiaries in our state,” she added.
“Good policy comes from good practice,” said Dave Durenberger, Chairman of the National Institute of Health Policy and a MedPAC commissioner, “and the Upper Midwest has a long history of delivering quality, low cost care to Medicare beneficiaries. We are hosting this forum so that the practitioners and the policy makers can learn from each other.”
The forum will be held at HealthPartners headquarters on Monday June 28, 2004. Participants will examine issues including the impact of the new Medicare legislation on consumers, physicians, hospitals and health plans. About one hundred people are slated to attend including CEO’s from health care organizations, physicians and home care providers.
Similar forums are also being held in Billings, Montana and Fargo, North Dakota. The Twin Cities event is hosted by the National Institute of Health Policy, a collaboration of Upper Midwest healthcare leaders designed to promote the creation and implementation of effective health policy. NIHP is a program of the University of St. Thomas College of Business.
HealthPartners
HealthPartners is a non-profit, consumer-governed health care organization with commercial and Medicare+Choice plans that received the highest rating of “Excellent” from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
HealthPartners
CONTACT: Chris Reese of HealthPartners, +1-952-883-5304, or Pager,+1-651-629-2110