On September 16, 2008, the Center for Health Policy (CHP) and the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research (PCOR) hosted a unique conference at Stanford University, “Better Health, Lower Cost: Can Innovation Save Health Reform?” in honor of their 10th anniversary.

The conference provided a West Coast forum to discuss how and whether innovation in health care delivery, payment incentives, and technology could play a pivotal role in improving access to high quality health care globally. The ties between innovation and health care expenditures were explored as speakers discussed the domestic and developing world contexts. The conference had significant participation from Silicon Valley and Bay Area entrepreneurs, venture capital and investment banking executives, leaders of the biotech and high-tech industries, provider and insurance executives, as well as academics, students, and policymakers.

The conference was moderated by Matt Miller, senior advisor, McKinsey & Company, and included a prominent group of speakers from three sectors –- private, philanthropic, and policy. There was a luncheon address from Alan Garber, director of CHP/PCOR, followed by a speech by Peter Orszag, director, Congressional Budget Office. The first plenary session on “Innovation in Health Care in the U.S.” included talks by George C. Halverson from the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Gail R. Wilensky from Project Hope, and Brook Byers from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

Plenary II on “Imperatives for U.S. Health Care Reform: the Next Four Years” included talks by Mark Smith from the California HealthCare Foundation, Stirling Bryan from the University of Vancouver, and Arnold Milstein from the Pacific Business Group on Health.

Plenary III on “Sustaining Innovation in the Developing World” included talks by John C. Martin from Gilead Sciences, Inc., Melinda Moree from Moree Consulting, and Paul Wise from CHP/PCOR.

The conference was sponsored by California HealthCare Foundation, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Perlegen Sciences, Inc., Stanford Center on Longevity, Exelixis, Inc., Genentech, Inc., Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Kaiser Family Foundation, Mercer Health & Benefits, and McKinsey & Company. The centers also had the assistance of a stellar conference advisory council: Drew E. Altman, Coit Blacker, Robert Chess, Bruce C. Cozadd, Christopher G. Dawes, Alain C. Enthoven, John Friedenrich, Victor Fuchs, David L. Gollaher, Philip W. Halperin, Martha H. Marsh, Mark McClellan, Lenny Mendonca, Philip A. Pizzo, J. Leighton Read, John Shoven, and Peter Stamos.

CHP and PCOR were established in 1998 to be a focus for health policy and outcomes research for Stanford University. Operating under the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the Stanford School of Medicine, the centers produce sophisticated research and timely information to help guide health policy and improve clinical practice.