Frustrated by the continued erosion of health care affordability, many employers believe that they have exhausted every option to reduce the cost of health care services. Some try to take matters into their own hands: negotiating contracts with local providers by pooling their volume of covered lives with other health care purchasers. We call these efforts aggregated purchasing.

On May 20, 2021, CPR hosted a Virtual Summit to explore the essential factors comprising successful aggregated purchasing models. The event also included an exclusive Purchaser Panel featuring leaders in Pittsburgh, PA; Madison, WI; and Summit County, CO who have overcome obstacles to achieve remarkable results through aggregated purchasing.

Virtual Summit Agenda:

• Welcome & Introduction, Suzanne Delbanco, Catalyst for Payment Reform
• What is at Stake for Purchasers? Robert Galvin, MD, Equity Healthcare
• Aggregated Purchasing Efforts: What have we learned? Andréa Caballero, Catalyst for Payment Reform
• Blueprints for Aggregated Purchasing Models, Julianne McGarry, Catalyst for Payment Reform
• Purchaser Panel, moderated by Laurel Pickering, Centivo (former President & CEO of Northeast Business Group on Health); and featuring:
  • Jessica Brooks, Pittsburgh Business Group on Health;
  • Claire Brockbank, Peak Health Alliance; and
  • Kyle Monroe, The Alliance
• Concluding Remarks, Suzanne Delbanco, Catalyst for Payment Reform

More information on aggregated purchasing:

• Free Report, Aggregated Purchasing of Health Care Services: Lessons Learned and Blueprints for Success
• AJMC Blog, Do Health Plans have a Plan to Help Employer-Purchasers Get Better Value?
• The Commonwealth Fund Blog, No Safe Haven for Employers Managing Health Care Costs