The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions on Nov. 10 held a hearing on the role of health care delivery reform in improving quality and lowering costs. Witnesses included Gary Kaplan, M.D., chairman and CEO of Virginia Mason Health System in Seattle, WA; and Greg Poulsen, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City.
Kaplan described his organization’s efforts to adapt the Toyota Production System to improve health care quality and lower costs, while Poulsen shared his organization’s recommendations for improving quality and avoiding waste. Other witnesses at the hearing included Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Deputy Administrator Jonathan Blum; Mark Fendrick, M.D., co-director of the Center for Value-Based Insurance Design; and Rhode Island Health Insurance Commissioner Chris Koller.
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