The number of hospitals, physicians and other providers affects the amount of care delivered to American patients and the value received from our health care spending. A better understanding of the effects and drivers of capacity changes and identification of strategies to manage capacity growth are essential for improving the efficiency and quality of our health care system.
The conference will provide an in-depth examination of the critical issues surrounding health system capacity:
- How does the supply of hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers affect utilization of services, health spending, and quality of care?
- How can pricing be improved to remove distortions that influence relative prices and drive capacity investments and use?
- What types of informational, organizational and financial changes could help to align providers' incentives to deliver care more efficiently?
- What are private-sector payers and providers doing to promote more efficient use of existing capacity?
- Is state health planning an effective tool for managing system capacity?
NIHCM is hosting a conference on December 1, 2008 at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, DC. For more information click here .