Frist keynote: A “look into the crystal ball of healthcare”

By Kristin Courtemanche, Countributing Writer

ORLANDO, Fla. — As a practicing physician, 12-year veteran of the U.S. Senate, professor of healthcare economics and policy at Princeton University, and partner at private investment firm Cressey & Company, Bill Frist is uniquely positioned to assess the future of healthcare.

At his much-anticipated keynote address Monday, Feb. 25, Senator Frist will discuss his vision of the next few years, identifying five major trends impacting healthcare: demographics and the aging population, consumerism and the shift to retail models, disease trends and chronic diseases dominating healthcare markets, healthcare IT and personalized medicine, and finally legislation and increasing government regulation. The address is sponsored by Siemens and EMC.

“We’ll take a look into the crystal ball of healthcare from my vantage point as provider, policy-maker, academic and believer in capitalism and private investment opportunities,” said the former Senate Majority Leader.

He will also focus on the three key concepts of interoperability, transparency and accountability, drawing on his experience co-sponsoring healthcare legislation with Senator Hillary Clinton.

The likelihood of viable legislated interoperability “really depends on who the next president is,” Frist said. “We need to be careful not to legislate regulatory shackles prohibiting the entrepreneurship and creativity inherent to the private market; yet, it is critical we facilitate true interoperability for more seamless use of information from a financing and health services delivery standpoint.”

Does Frist favor a specific candidate’s healthcare plan? As of early January, “it’s too early,” he said. “The Democrats are much more specific whereas Republicans have been very nebulous.”

However, he anticipates more specificity by the time of the HIMSS Conference & Exhibition, and notes that the most important domestic issue in the minds of voters will in fact be healthcare.

“A more egalitarian approach to healthcare is appropriate and can be done in a way that doesn’t stifle innovation, creativity, competition or private enterprise,” Frist said, indicating his intention to push the Republicans in this direction. “It will be interesting to see.”

Posted by Kristin Courtemanche on Tuesday, January 15th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
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