To kick off the meeting, Marriott International EVP and CHRO David Rodriguez, Chair of AHPI, outlined the importance of transparency in pricing and quality data to employers when providing coverage to employees. Before hearing directly from employers, Administrator Verma outlined three of the sixteen strategic initiatives CMS is working on to innovate in the public and private sectors in order to increase access to affordable, high-quality health care. These initiatives were price transparency, interoperability, and value-based payment.
Administrator Verma and AHPI members agreed that employees should always be at the center of any health care policy. Employers stated that they share an interest in the three strategic initiatives laid out by the Administrator. Additional common priorities included a need for consistency in quality improvement measures and employee wellbeing.
Trust is at the center of every patient’s relationship with the healthcare system and it has become apparent in recent years that this trust is eroding, whether due to difficulty in understanding benefits or fears over data security. The current system is clearly not working but there are many opportunities to improve the patient experience through public-private partnerships in the areas of transparency, interoperability, and value-based payments.
