De la Torre to Obama: Try a Manhattan Project for healthcare
The head of New England's second-largest hospital network has some advice for President Obama in the current issue of Business Week.
Dr. Ralph de la Torre, chief executive of Caritas Christi Health Care, suggested clarifying the concepts of access, cost, and quality rather than focusing on vague goals such as "universal care" or "affordability." Reaching consensus will not be an easy feat, he says.
"That's why I suggest you launch a kind of 90-day Manhattan Project as soon as possible. Invite 50 to 70 of our country's smartest thinkers—people willing to spend three months in Washington—to solve what is one of the biggest domestic problems facing the U.S. today," he writes. "Avoid policy wonks and business consultants, simply because the economics of health care differ so radically from those of other industries. Station the National Guard at every entrance to the meeting room and instruct them to keep out all lobbyists. "
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blogger
Elizabeth Cooney is a former
health reporter for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, where she also was a
business reporter and an editor. Earlier in her career, she edited medical
books and journals at Little, Brown, and worked for Boston magazine.Boston Globe Health and Science staff:
- Gideon Gil, Health and Science Editor
- Ishani Ganguli, Short White Coat blogger
