Healthcare in the 21st Century: Accessibility and Affordability 6th Annual Health Policy Forum Friday, October 3, 2008 St. Louis Airport Hilton 10330 Natural Bridge Road Advance registration required: $50.00 per person To sign up for this event, call 314-416-0439, email forum@signaturefoundation.org or register online.

Forum Purpose:
To stimulate cross-sectional community dialogue about healthcare quality, efficiency and affordability.

Who Should Attend:
Healthcare executives and managers, providers, business leaders and HR managers, governmental leaders, appointed and elected, non-profit organizations

Agenda:

7:30 – 8:00 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:00 AM Opening Address
Health System Reform: Why Now, What, and What If?





Len Nichols
Director, Health Policy Program
New America Foundation


Len Nichols directs the Health Policy program at the New America Foundation. In this role, he works towards solutions to many of the complex problems of our health care system. Most recently, he has worked with United States senators on health reform legislation and with the governors or legislators in California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Washington, Arkansas, Ohio and Utah to shape coverage expansion and cost-growth containment strategies..

Before joining New America, Dr. Nichols was the Vice President of the Center for Studying Health System Change, a Principal Research Associate at the Urban Institute, and the Senior Advisor for Health Policy at the Office of Management and Budget during the Clinton Reform efforts of 1993-94. He has testified before Congress and state legislators and has been published widely in a variety of health related journals

9:30 - 9:50 AM Break

10:10 AM Panel & Community Input Discussion:

Larry E. Fields, MD, MBA, FACA, FACC Senior Director of Strategic Policy in the Worldwide Public Affairs & Policy Group, Pfizer

Thomas F. Hastings, MD Medical Director, Esse Health

Edward L. Langston, MD Chair, Board of Trustees, American Medical Association

Susan Nestor Levy Chief Advocacy Officer, Ascension Health

Moderator: Mary Jo FeldStein Reporter, St. Louis Post Dispatch

11:30 AM Paul Simon Award Presentation

Herman Noah
President, Signature Healthcare Foundation

11:45 AM Lunch Session
Governmental Perspectives
Jay Nixon, Missouri Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate, has accepted an invitation to attend. The Republican gubernatorial candidate, US Representative Kenny Hulshof has been invited as well. These appearances are not a debate, but an opportunity for each candidate to present his position on health care in Missouri. Candidates will not be scheduled to appear together. In addition, since the Vice Presidential debate is being held in St. Louis the evening before the forum, the Vice Presidential candidates are being invited as well. The appearance of any of these candidates is dependent upon campaign commitments the day of the event. Due to schedule constraints, candidates could speak at any time during the forum.

The cost for this event is $50 per person.

Forum Sponsors
Host Sponsors:

Forum Planning Committee:
Tim McBride, Professor of Health Management & Policy
St. Louis University

Dr. Michael Burns
Signature Health Services, Inc.

Herman Noah, Executive Director
St. Louis Youth and Family Center

Louise Probst, Executive Director
St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition

Dave Totaro, Vice President, Communications
RehabCare Group

Hilton St. Louis Airport 10330 Natural Bridge Road St. Louis, MO 63134 Tel: 1-314-426-5500 Fax: 1-314-426-3429 (click here for directions)