JSPH Annual Summer Seminar

On Thursday July 22nd, the Connelly Auditorium in the Hamilton Building on our campus was overflowing with attendees to the Annual JSPH Summer Seminar.Our topic this year focused on implementing health reform in Pennsylvania.

With faculty from the region and other schools on our campus too, we were able to present a detailed review of the challenges that we face with the ACA legislation with a particular emphasis on implementing the Primary Care Medical Home model. Leading experts described IT connectivity, changing physician behavior,the lack of sufficient primary care doctors, changing incentives, and other challenges in some detail. A panel dicsussion delved deeper into these issues.

It is clear to me that the ACA legislation in general and the Primary Care Medical Home in particular will mean a sea change in how we practice. Accountability will be the key theme and population based care will be the goal. Sure sounds good from my perspective!!!

The JSPH is perfectly situated to take appropriate advantage of these challenges and to help build the class of leaders necessary for successful management of these new enterprises. The overflow crowd demonstrated to me the demand for more unbiased information about the legislation and the need for action plans for implementation too.

The first full academic year of the JSPH has come to a close and we are vigorously planning for year two. Stay tuned for more information about our national on line presence as we close out negotiations with some regional and national provider networks in the next few weeks. DAVID NASH