On September 13th, the Innovation and Value Initiative was proud to sponsor a special Health Affairs briefing in Washington, D.C. Over 200 of the country’s most influential health care stakeholders and public policy thought leaders gathered to address the topic of value in health care.

Focusing on “Understanding the Value of Innovations in Medicine,” this unique policymaker forum examined various frameworks for formally defining and measuring value, and discussed the public policy issues and strategies attendant to their use.

The program included two panel discussions:

Many Stakeholders, Many Values: Measuring Value in a Diverse Health Care Marketplace

The first panel focused on scientific issues, particularly the diversity of patients on value and what, if anything, can be done to clarify confusion and provide greater clarity around measuring value from a range of perspectives – patient, provider, payer, employer, and society. The panel was moderated by Dr. Sam Nussbaum, Chair of the IVI Strategic Advisory Panel, and included the following panelists:

  • Rena Conti, Assistant Professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Public Health Services, University of Chicago
  • Loui Garrison, Professor, Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy Program, School of Pharmacy, University of Washington
  • Anna Hyde, Vice President, Advocacy and Access, Arthritis Foundation
  • Jeroen Jansen, Evidence Synthesis Expert, Innovation and Value Initiative
  • Darius Lakdawalla, Executive Director, Innovation and Value Initiative

What’s Next for Value-Based Reimbursement in Health Care?

The second panel explored the opportunities and challenges for embedding a useful notion of value in the institutions, regulations, and practices of the health care system in the U.S. Moderated by Alan Weil, Editor-in-Chief of Health Affairs, the panel included:

  • Alan Balch, Chief Executive Officer, Patient Advocate Foundation
  • Darius Lakdawalla, Executive Director, Innovation and Value Initiative
  • Peter Neumann, Professor of Medicine, Tufts Medical Center/Tufts University
  • Michael Sherman, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

If you were not able to attend this important forum in person, we encourage you to visit the Health Affairs briefing page here, where you can stream complete audio from the event, as well as download the presentation slides, agenda, and presenter bios. Full video recording of the event will also be added at this site in the coming days – be sure to check back for updates.

Finally, one of the main goals of this event – and of IVI – is to drive a constructive public discussion about how to move toward a health system that rewards value. To see how the event is already impacting the debate, see our Storify, or connect with us on Twitter (@IVI_health).