State Society Supports Renewal of PHC4
The Pennsylvania Medical Society is taking action to support the reauthorization of the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4).
The Society’s Board of Trustees voted at its May 2008 meeting to continue to support reauthorization and, on June 10, 2008, Peter S. Lund, MD, president of the State Society testified on PHC4 reauthorization before the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee.
“This organization has helped to raise awareness of concerns related to health care financing and quality, and in many instances helped to raise the bar to the point that Pennsylvania is a national leader when it comes to such data collection and analysis. It would be shameful to see PHC4 go away,” Dr. Lund testified.
PHC4 shut down June 30, 2008, after its legislative authorization expired. An executive order reopened the agency through Nov. 30, 2008, or until the General Assembly approves a reauthorization bill.
David Wilderman, PHC4’s acting executive director, told the Board in May that support from the medical community is important for the success of PHC4.
"We look to your community for guidance. We respect your community," he said.
PHC4, created in 1986 to help control growing health care costs, collects data on admissions and procedures from hospitals and freestanding ambulatory surgical centers and provides this data to the public.
"Renewal of PHC4 is a priority for the Pennsylvania Medical Society," said Dr. Lund, MD, president of the State Society. "The data that it collects and disseminates is extremely valuable."
Last Updated: 8/12/2008