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Steven Gabbe, MD
CEO, The Ohio State University Medical Center
Hear Dr. Gabbe discuss the roundtable in more detail in this video. |
A group of central Ohio leaders gathered in December at University Hospital East at the request of then President-elect Obama to recommend ideas to improve health care in America.
I was privileged to moderate the discussion and help prepare the group’s report. In the room were leaders from competing hospitals, insurance companies, local industry, public health departments and social service agencies. Despite our differences of opinion, I was struck by how much we agreed on the most important issues.
We recommended increasing access to preventive health care, providing consumers with electronic health records, providing funding to address the shortage of primary care physicians and increasing efficiencies to make health care affordable, sustainable and accessible to all.
We agreed that there is no quick fix, but we also agreed that our desire for big change should not stop us from encouraging and celebrating even small improvements.
The healthcare dialog is well under way, and I encourage you to get involved. Whether it’s calling your legislator, supporting a local service agency or adopting a healthier lifestyle, find a way that you can reduce the need for expensive care and help move our nation toward better health for all of its citizens. |