Live Webcast Sponsored by the Commonwealth Fund on Role of Federal Government in Improving Health Care Quality; Expert Discussion

1/12/2004

From: Mary Mahon, 212-606-3853 or 917-225-2314, mm@cmwf.org or Bill Byrne, 212-606-3826 or bkb@cmwf.org; both of the Commonwealth Fund

News Advisory:

The debate over quality and cost in the U.S. health care system promises to be high on the national agenda in 2004, sparked in part by the release last month of two important benchmark studies from the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research on quality of care and disparities in access to and utilization of care. The Commonwealth Fund has convened a panel of experts in health care quality to discuss the issues raised in the AHRQ reports, and in a recent Health Affairs article by Commonwealth Fund researchers, "Obtaining Greater Value from Health Care: The Roles of the U.S. Government."

Media are invited to view a live webcast of the discussion, and to submit questions to the panel both in advance of and during the program. Address your questions to http://[email protected]. No registration is required. See the Fund website, http://www.cmwf.org, for background materials and information on viewing the webcast.

WHEN:

Jan. 13, 2-3 p.m. ET

SPEAKERS:

-- Stephen C. Schoenbaum, M.D., senior vice president, The Commonwealth Fund (moderator)

-- Robert Graham, M.D., acting deputy director, Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research

-- Kenneth W. Kizer, M.D., M.P.H, president and CEO of the National Quality Forum

-- Dennis S. O'Leary, M.D., president, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations

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The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundations sponsoring independent research on health and social issues.