Former Michigan Governor John Engler will serve as chair of the DRIVE Health Initiative, a campaign aimed at accelerating the U.S. health system's transition to value-based care.
The DRIVE Health Initiative was created by the Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH) and The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), and leverages targeted deregulation and evidence-based purchasing strategies with the goal to decrease costs and improve quality through value-based care. It was announced this week that Engler has accepted an invitation to serve as chair. In this role, he will serve as an advisor and foster collaboration between policymakers and industry stakeholders that will ultimately lead in advancing healthcare alternative payment models, officials said.
To this end, since its launch in May 2017, the DRIVE Health Initiative has undertaken a number of activities to inform policymakers and urge the government to promote specific market-oriented, value-based purchasing strategies. The most notable efforts to-date, according to officials, include: issuing a letter to President Trump encouraging him to promote value-based care policies; and making specific recommendations to the U.S. House of Representatives Ways & Means Health Subcommittee and to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on alternative value-based payment models that should be implemented by Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans. Under Gov. Engler’s leadership, the group aims to further develop and execute its cooperative strategy to break down any barriers that inhibit quality improvement efforts.
Engler, a Republican, served as the governor of Michigan for three terms, from 1991 to 2003, and prior to that served for 20 years in the Michigan State Legislature, finishing his term as the Senate Majority Leader.
“The evidence-based, value-based reforms being pursued by DRIVE Health Initiative will improve the quality of healthcare for American families and help recover nearly $350 billion being wasted on unnecessary costs,” Engler said in a statement. “That money can then be invested in other national priorities like job growth, education, and tax cuts. Now that’s a bipartisan fix I know everyone can get behind, and I’m excited to help make it happen.”
