Introduction: Six Comments on the Forum

Calif. J. Politics Policy 2014; 6(2): 225–226 Commentary Liora G. Bowers*, Richard M. Scheffler, Stephen M. Shortell and Brent D. Fulton Introduction: Six Comments on the Forum Keywords: Berkeley Forum; global payments; healthcare; integrated care; leader- ship; multi-stakeholder collaboration. DOI 10.1515/cjpp-2014-0021 This special edition of the California Journal of Politics and Policy, in addition to the full report by the Berkeley Forum for Improving California’s Healthcare Deliv- ery System (hereafter “Berkeley Forum”), includes six brief comments by leaders in California’s healthcare system that reflect on the Berkeley Forum process and the fundamental healthcare system issues that dominated its discussions and shaped its recommendations. Ian Morrison, the Forum facilitator, offers insights on creating and manag- ing the project and provides invaluable advice for those seeking to create similar collaborations. Pam Kehaly, President of Anthem Blue Cross, acknowledges her initial skepti- cism of the project and its ambitions and describes the often circuitous and incon- clusive discussions in Forum meetings that, over time, evolved into consensus on a “Forum Vision” recommending a shift to integrated care and risk-adjusted global budgets. Kehaly concludes by noting the Forum leaders’ commitment to advance the Forum recommendations, and how Anthem Blue Cross is already doing so with its ACO-type provider contracts. Former Kaiser Chairman & CEO George Halvorson articulates a macro view of the key failure in the current system. He explains how buying health care by the piece encourages needless procedures and higher prices in pursuit of profit, discourages innovation in reengineering care, and financially rewards poor out- comes and ineffective care. The issues he raises played a major role in shaping the *Corresponding author: Liora G. Bowers, UC Berkeley, School of Public Health, Berkeley, CA, USA, e-mail: lgbowers@berkeley.edu; liora.bowers@gmail.com Richard M. Scheffler, Stephen M. Shortell and Brent D. Fulton: UC Berkeley, School of Public Health, Berkeley, CA, USA