Sunday, September 25, 2011

Costs of Care essay contest

Following on a successful event last year, Neel Shah and his colleagues at Costs of Care have announced their 2011 Essay Contest. Their goal is to expand the national discourse on the role of providers in health care spending. Neel notes:

This year our judges will include former White House Budget Director Peter Orzsag, former surgeon general C. Everett Koop, former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, women's health advocate Dr. Susan Love, and incoming Harvard University provost and health economist Dr. Alan Garber. We'll be offering $4000 in prizes for top submissions. In addition to stories about price transparency and unexpected medical bills, this year we are also particularly looking for positive stories that illustrate ways to save money while still delivering high value care.

Costs of Care is a nonprofit social venture that helps doctors understand how the decisions they make impact what patients pay for care. They aim to harness social media, mobile applications, and other information technologies to give doctors and patients the information they need to deflate medical bills.

For this contest, two $1000 prizes will be reserved for patients, and two $1000 prizes will be reserved for care providers. Preference will be given to stories that best demonstrate the importance of cost-awareness in medicine. Examples may include a time a patient tried to find out what a test or treatment would cost but was unable to do so, a time that caring for a patient generated an unexpectedly a high medical bill, or a time a patient and care provider figured out a way to save money while still delivering high-value care.

Click here for the details. The deadline is November 15.

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