2004 Summit Conference
Presentations and Speakers
The Future of the American Healthcare System: Opportunities and Challenges for Self-Funded Firms
Edward F.X. Hughes, MD, M.P.H.
Professor of Health Industry Management,
Northwestern University
Edward F.X. Hughes, M.D., M.P.H. is the founder and the immediate past Director of the Center for Health Services and Policy Research of Northwestern University. He is a Professor of Health Industry Management and Management and Strategy in the Kellogg School of Management and Professor of Preventive Medicine in the Medical School, Northwestern University.
Dr. Hughes is a frequent author and speaker on national health policy issues. He is one of the founders of the Association for Health Services Research and is a charter member of The Health Care 1000, a directory of the most influential Americans in the field of health policy. Some of his interests are efficient utilization of resources, elaboration of national health policy, and the future direction of the American health care system. At Northwestern, Dr. Hughes originated a first-of-its-kind joint degree in medicine and management. To the best of our knowledge, he is the first physician in the United States to be a tenured professor in a school of management.
Health Care Cost Controls – Is it Time to Take Over The Asylum?
A. Michael La Penna
President, The La Penna Group Inc
Mike La Penna has executive experience with both profit and not for profit healthcare systems, as well as a wide variety of ancillary organizations. Mike is a graduate of the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business and holds an MBA and Certificate in Healthcare Administration. He has held numerous faculty positions in both undergraduate and graduate business programs and is a frequent lecturer at national conferences.
Mike has authored many articles on topics relevant to the management and financial field and is frequently interviewed for healthcare industry publications.
Mike’s expertise includes strategic planning, payer negotiation, real estate ventures, merger, acquisition and divestiture strategies, product branding, health network development, equity and risk arrangements, technology applications and faculty group practice plans. He pioneered many of the concepts associated with employer direct contracting and on-site primary care.
Years of On-Site Experience – The Quad/Med Model
Dr. Len Quadracci
President, Quad Med LLC
Leonard Quadracci, M.D., has been practicing medicine and directing healthcare services for more than 35 years. Dr. Quadracci currently serves as President of Quad/Med. LLC, and Quad/Med Corporate Health Services. Both are entities of Quad/Graphics, the largest privately held printer of magazines and catalogs in the Western Hemisphere.
Since joining the company in 1995, Dr. Quadracci has advanced Quad/Med, LLC, to provide high-quality, accessible and affordable medical care and wellness services to Quad/Graphics’ 12,000+ employees. He has overseen the substantial expansion of Quad/Med’s on-site medical facilities, which now include four state-of-the-art healthcare clinics with full-service labs, pharmacies and injury rehabilitation centers. Quad/Med’s innovative approach and commitment to proactive care have been lauded by healthcare management organizations and industry experts across the country. Dr. Quadracci administers a staff of 120, including 30 physicians and other medical providers.
Quad/Med Corporate Health Services markets its proven occupational healthcare model to other corporations. As President, Dr. Quadracci oversees a variety of corporate healthcare services, including occupational medicine services for dozens of other companies and management of Rockwell Automation’s two Milwaukee-area on-site healthcare clinics and the on-site healthcare clinics at Briggs & Stratton’s Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, headquarters and Poplar Bluff, Missouri, plant. In addition, Dr. Quadracci practices internal medicine, with a specialty in nephrology.
One Corporation’s Approach to Integrating Health Care and Managing Costs
J. Brent Pawlecki, MD
Associate Medical Director, Pitney Bowes Inc
Dr. Brent Pawlecki is the Associate Medical Director at Pitney Bowes Inc. He manages the corporate on-site medical clinics, overseeing medical care and safety of employees throughout the U.S. He manages the Health Education and Examination Compliance functions of the organization. He serves as a consultant for the Disability Assistance Department, Safety Department and the Crisis Management Team. He currently serves as a Chair for the National Business Group on Health’s Stress, Behavior and Obesity Initiative. Trained in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, Dr. Pawlecki has worked as an Emergency Department physician and as the Medical Director of a large Occupational Medicine practice in New York.
Toyota’s Search for a Rational Approach to Health Care Costs in the U.S.
Ford Brewer , MD
Medical Director, Toyota North America
Since coming to Toyota in 2000, I have been learning TPS and The Toyota Way. It has been very interesting learning the lean manufacturing concept and how we can best apply it to our business, including health care.
Like many aspects of business we have had broken systems on the health management side. My role has been to evaluate those systems and apply the TPS and Toyota Way principles to make our systems more effective, with less waste. We have implemented monthly, health focused videos and written communications to help team members understand the focus we have on health and safety. Healthy, motivated team members benefit our families and our company.
We are also implementing significant analytical tracking systems to more effectively monitor and manage our health care dollars. We are practicing all the Toyota business principles that we ask team members to practice – root cause analysis, kaizen and elimination of muda, just to mention a few. These steps will provide the most efficient and effective health care systems for our team members and our company.
Panel Discussion
Jeff Mahloch
Vice President of Human Resource, Briggs & Stratton
Jeff Mahloch is Vice President of Human Resources at Briggs & Stratton Corporation, a worldwide manufacturer with more than 7,500 employees around the globe. Among his responsibilities are employee benefits, health and safety, worker's compensation, recruiting, compensation and industrial relations.
Dr. Roger Merrill
Chief Medical Officer, Perdue Farms
Dr. Merrill has been Corporate Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer at Perdue Farms Incorporated since 1990. He has been in the active practice of internal medicine in Salisbury, MD for 25 years; additionally he has served as Chief of Staff of Peninsula Regional Medical Center, a 425-bed tertiary care institution, Member of the Board of Trustees of PRMC for eight years, President of the County Medical Society, and on numerous boards of medical and QA organizations, including the Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care (the QIO [formerly PRO] for Maryland and DC).
John Neuberger
Business Manager, Quad/Med LLC
John Neuberger joined QuadMed in 1997 as Business Manager and Director of Business Development. Before joining QuadMed, John served as Regional Vice President for Physician Integration with Covenant Healthcare, and President of Covenant Medical Group.
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