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Overview
The future of the health care system in the U.S. is considered by many to be the most important domestic policy issue
of the 2008 election season. Given the current state of the health care system, few would argue that there is no room for improvement.
The size of the system is directly related to its importance on the domestic policy agenda. An illustration of this connection is
the recent report of estimates of future health care costs released by CMS. These estimates project a 6.4 percent annual increase
in the cost of health insurance over the next 10 years. To put this trend into perspective, this increase translates into health care
costs consuming $1 of every $5 dollars spent in the U.S. by 2016, representing close to a total of $4 trillion.
In terms of improvement to the U.S healthcare system, major areas that have been debated include cost, access, quality and
efficiency. These topics are all, to an extent, interrelated. While acknowledging the influence of cost and access, the fundamental
concern of this Call for Papers is on quality and efficiency in the U.S. health system.
What is the impact of "quality" and "efficiency" on the future costs of the U.S. health care system and what is their role
in helping to ensure stakeholders achieve the best value for their health care dollar? Shedding light on this question is the primary
objective of this Call for Papers.
Content
To expand thinking on the subject of quality in the U.S. health care system, the Society of Actuaries'
Health Section is issuing this Call for Papers, inviting health care researchers, practitioners and other professionals to
explore this issue from a variety of perspectives.
The Health Section is seeking to compile papers that represent the latest in thinking about quality
issues and when taken together, the set of papers provides a multi–disciplinary, textured analysis of the topic.
Authors may submit either original research or expository papers. The papers have no required minimum
or maximum length.
The following is an example list of potential issues that authors may wish to consider–please note these
issues are only intended to serve as examples and are not meant to restrict potential ideas in any way:
- How does quality impact the use of health care services for consumers, providers and other stakeholders?
- How do stakeholders influence quality in health care services?
- Do quality considerations lead to the overuse or underuse of services by various health care system stakeholders?
- What factors impact the variation of services geographically?
- What factors contribute to the disparities in the quality of services provided?
- What role does technology play in the quality of health care?
- What tools or strategies can be used to promote increased quality in the health care system?
- What are the costs and benefits to various system stakeholders of introducing quality programs?
- What is the prevalence of medical errors in the health care system and its effect on costs?
- What role does quality have in efforts to reform the U.S. health care system?
- What lessons can be learned from the experience of health care systems of other countries about the role of quality?
As mentioned above, this is just a sample of issues that may fall under the scope of this Call for Papers.
Procedure for Submission of Abstracts
Please submit an abstract or outline of your proposed paper by September 15, 2008 to:
At a minimum, the abstract submission should include a brief description of the subject of the paper,
a list of key items to be covered and a brief biographical paragraph summarizing the author's experience, prior publications
and presentations and contact information.
Procedure for Reviewing Abstracts
Submitted abstracts will be evaluated by a review group for their potential for presentation at an SOA
Health Section-sponsored event in the spring of 2009.
Abstract submissions will be accepted, accepted subject to revision or declined. The review group is scheduled to complete
its evaluation of the abstracts/outlines in October 2008.
Submission of Papers
All papers must be based on accepted abstracts and submitted in a complete format no later than March 1, 2009.
The procedure for submission of papers includes the following specific guidelines:
- Submissions that have a copyright must be accompanied by written permission to reprint.
- Submissions should be made electronically to Steve Siegel at ssiegel@soa.org.
Publication and Presentation
The review group, after receiving all submissions, will determine if a meeting event for presenting the papers is appropriate. Should this occur:
- It is anticipated that travel and lodging expenses for authors selected to present at the event will be reimbursed, up to certain limits.
- A final determination as to the number of papers invited to present will be made after all abstracts have been submitted and reviewed.
It is anticipated that all accepted papers will be published. The papers will appear in an on–line monograph and, where appropriate,
in Society of Actuaries publications. Upon author request, accepted papers may also be submitted to peer–reviewed journals.
Authors can submit their papers to other publications provided that the Society of Actuaries can maintain the right to publish the papers.
The Society of Actuaries prefers to publish all papers and to copyright all published papers without a previous copyright. However,
it will work with authors as necessary for special publication situations.
The Society of Actuaries reserves the right to reject or not publish any papers not meeting the criteria and standards set by the review group.
Questions
Please direct any questions regarding this Call for Papers to:
- Steven Siegel, Research Actuary
- Society of Actuaries
- ph: 847.706.3578
- f: 847.273.8578
- e–mail: ssiegel@soa.org