Web Conference
This Web Conference series consisted of three sessions broadcast
on October 10, 11, and 15, 2002, via the World Wide Web and telephone. The program
was designed to help State and local policymakers understand why health care
inflation has been surging in recent years. The User Liaison Program (ULP) of the
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) developed and sponsored the
program.
Select to access the Conference Sessions; all
slides for each presentation are also available separately. Select for Playback
Tips and Software Requirements.
While listening to the audio, you can also access the individual PowerPoint® slide presentations and manually move through the slides referred to by each presenter. There is a text version of each slide presentation available by selecting the indicated link.
A complete set of audio tapes of the conference is also available for $10.00 through the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse at 1-800-358-9295. Ask for AHRQ 03-AV01A, "Causes of and Potential Solutions to the High Cost of Health Care."
Program Overview
The return to double-digit increases in health care costs is forcing government officials, employers, and consumers to reexamine their health care spending practices and pushing decisionmakers at all levels to revisit the conundrum of how to contain health care spending.
This audio conference series was designed to help State and local policymakers understand why health care inflation has been surging and why overall health care spending will probably continue to increase in the years ahead. The major policy options available with a focus on two critical areas identified by the Institute of Medicine were presented. The series also examined the challenge of expanding and coordinating services to care for persons with chronic conditions and how to design pharmaceutical benefits programs based on the latest scientific evidence.
The learning objectives for the program where that participants should be better equipped to:
- Identify the major components of health care spending and principal cost drivers.
- Discuss major strategies that policymakers have historically used for containing health care costs and what new kinds of strategies they might consider in the short and long terms that would contribute to the kind of system-wide redesign of the health care system called for by the Institute of Medicine.
- Discuss the costs associated with caring for the chronically ill and tools available to State and local officials for implementing disease management programs and related interventions.
- Describe how public and private health care purchasers can utilize the latest scientific evidence to design more cost-effective formularies, preferred-drug lists, and other aspects of their pharmaceutical benefits' programs.
Conference Sessions
The streaming presentation includes the audio and slides presented during the Web program. Because this is a recording of the sessions, instructions to the participants are no longer relevant. To access each session, select Streaming Presentation. All slides for each presentation are also available separately.
Select for Playback Tips and Software Requirements.
Session 1: Health Care Cost Drivers and Policy Options
Session 1 Streaming Presentation (Length, about 1.5 hours).
Presentations
Session 2: Reining in the Cost of Chronic Illness
Session 2 Streaming Presentation (Length, about 1.5 hours).
Presentations
Session 3: Designing Pharmacy Benefits to Improve Quality and Contain Costs
Session 3 Streaming Presentation (Length, about 1.5 hours).
Presentations
PowerPoint® files can be viewed with Microsoft® PowerPoint® or with a free PowerPoint® Viewer.
Playback Tips
- These streaming video presentations demand a lot from your computer's resources. You may find that the streaming video works better if you close other applications and windows on your computer.
- To see the open captioning fully, you may need to use the Compact Mode of RealPlayer® To do so, click the round button in the upper right corner.
- To adjust audio levels while in the Normal Mode, click the square button marked "Graphic Equalizer" to the left of the mode button.
- To start, pause, or stop playback, use the buttons in the upper left corner.
- To jump ahead in the session, use the slider under the title bar.
Software Requirements
To access the audio clips, you will need Real® player software installed on your computer. To download a free RealOne® player, go to http://www.real.com and select "Free RealOne® Player." Check the minimum requirements for each for your system; if you are a Macintosh or Unix/Linux user, select the player appropriate for your computer.
Follow the instructions provided for download and installation. If you are unsure of where you saved it on your computer, select "Start" on your navigation bar, then "Find," and search for "Real." When you find the folder, look for the "Set-Up" box, select that, and the installation will begin.
Current as of July 2003
Internet Citation:
Causes of and Potential Solutions to the High Cost of Health
Care. Web Conference, broadcast on October 10, 11, and 15, 2002. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ulp/hicosttele/
540 Gaither Road Rockville, MD 20850