Leveraging Clinical Innovation to Improve Healthcare Quality & Access for All Americans

September 16, 2008 Glenn D. Steele Jr., M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Geisinger Health System presented this testimony to the Senate Committee on Finance in a hearing entitled "Aligning Incentives: The Case for Delivery System Reform." He described health care delivery innovations developed by Geisinger that could be considered as models for national health care reform. The key points of his testimony were as follows: Mandatory "best practices" for acute cardiac care improved patient outcomes. Complications fell by 21%, sterna infections fell by 25%, and readmissions fell by 44%. The average length of stay decreased . . .