(COMTEX)
A: PLANNING FOR THE UNKNOWN IS LATEST HEALTH CARE CHALLENGE, DISCUSSED AT
GREATER DETROIT AREA HEALTH COUNCIL ANNUAL MEETING AND CONFERENCE
DETROIT, Jun 10, 1999 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The new century will
usher in a health care system very different from the one that is
currently in place. While the shape of that system is unknown, health
care providers, purchasers and consumers have to develop strategies to
handle the increasingly complex issues surrounding health care.
Speakers at the Annual Meeting and Conference of the Greater Detroit
Area Health Council (GDAHC) provided insight on where health care is
currently and the possible shape of things to come. The Annual Meeting
and Conference entitled "Health Care in the 21st Century: Navigating
Your Way in Uncharted Territory," was held Thursday, June 10, 1999 at
Cobo Center in Detroit.
"Medical technology, information technology and a host of other forces
are pushing us into areas where we've never been before," said J.
SeanKenney, Ph.D., president and CEO of GDAHC. "We must gain a better
understanding of where we are, insight into where we are going, and
develop strategies for managing what's ahead."
Health futurist and medical economist Jeffrey C. Bauer, Ph.D., told
conference attendees that the next few years will be difficult as all
health care stakeholders learn to use new tools for shaping health care
delivery.
"We truly are entering uncharted territory," Dr. Bauer said, "but
we have a number of new 'navigational' tools such as information
technology that will help us."
The focus on using technology was further emphasized by John E.
Wennberg, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Center for the Evaluative
Clinical Sciences at the Dartmouth Medical School and cofounder of the
Foundation forInformed Medical Decision Making.
"Currently there is no rational health care 'system' in the United
States," Dr. Wennberg said. "There is very little certainty about which
interventions or what amount of resources result in the best health
outcomes."
At the annual meeting, Gerald D. Fitzgerald, president and CEO of
Oakwood Healthcare, Inc. was named recipient of the 1999 Symond R.
Gottlieb Awardin recognition of his long-standing service to the Health
Council and thecommunity.
The Greater Detroit Area Health Council is the coalition dedicated to
improving health and the quality, affordability and accessibility of
health services in Southeast Michigan. The Health Council is comprised
of more than 100 organizations -- business and labor groups, health
care providers, payers and community agencies.
SOURCE Greater Detroit Area Health Council, Inc.
(C) 1999 PR Newswire. All rights reserved.
prnewswire.com -0-
CONTACT: Ron Beford of Greater Detroit Area Health Council,
313-965-4123, fax, 313-965-2031, or email,
rbeford@msms.org
WEB PAGE: gdahc.org
GEOGRAPHY: Michigan
INDUSTRY CODE: HEA
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