New official helps Pitt with health care reform

Pitt officials hired former state Secretary of Health Everette James for their newest… Pitt officials hired former state Secretary of Health Everette James for their newest administrative position with the hopes that he could guide Pitt’s researchers and students as the nation experiences health care reform.

Created by Pitt earlier this month, the new position of associate vice chancellor for health policy and planning will allow James to bring a new level of cohesiveness to the University’s health resources, said Dr. Donald Burke, dean of the Graduate School of Public Health.

.For years the University has considered adding an upper-level administrative position to coordinate all of the Pittsburgh health systems, Burke said. Those systems include University research labs, UPMC hospitals, private insurers and other health agencies aimed at increasing health in the city.

James said he plans to aggressively coordinate future research projects at Pitt and expand on the University’s “comparative effectiveness research.” That type of research compares treatments and drugs used to combat some of the most resistant and expensive diseases, with the aim of streamlining treatment options and making them more effective.

“For instance, if someone comes to a doctor with lower back pain, there exists a number of different types of ways to treat this. We need to compare the effectiveness of these treatments and choose the best,” James said.

Additionally, James will present University research to UPMC officials, with whom he will work to develop and test new models of health care.

His duties will also extend into the classroom. In the spring, James will teach a course, “Health Reform in the U.S. — Past, Present, and Future,” that will provide students with an opportunity to explore the development of health reform over the past 50 years.

“Instead of getting information from the news, students will be able hear about the new health reform law from someone who went to law school,” James said.

The class will be James’ first experience as an instructor in the college classroom.

“I am really looking forward to doing some teaching,” James said. “The changes around the new health care create an exciting opportunity for students in the schools of health sciences to advance care in a whole new environment.”

President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act brought the need for coordination to the forefront, Burke said. The new position will focus on three areas: research, UPMC program development and teaching.

Burke said that James’ deep experience in public health policy will be a major asset to the University during these times of recession and health care overhaul.

“James is bringing a level of practical experience that academics do not have. It is the dream of every academic to have the results of their research make a positive difference in peoples’ lives,” Burke said. “We hope James helps us to be effective in having an impact on health in Allegheny County and throughout the state.”

During his time with Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration, James helped implement the 2008 statewide smoking ban. He also helped establish physical education and nutrition standards, for both public and private schools in Pennsylvania, which are currently under examination by state regulators and are scheduled to take effect next year.

When the Obama administration passed the health care reform law in March 2010, James worked on a number of the reform’s early implementations.

As part of Rendell’s administration, James set up a “high-risk” insurance pool for the neediest citizens that were denied insurance coverage for at least six months. The state offered them a health insurance policy provided by the government to bridge the gap between now and 2014, when the health care reform will go into full effect.

“We rewrote the laws around claims and appeals for the insurance companies to make sure consumers have the ability to have their appeals heard in a timely basis when denied coverage,” James said.

James said that the health care reform law will change the landscape for providers and administrators of the system.

“There is going to be a much greater focus on primary care, nursing and community-based care,” James said. “Because we are going to have some 30 million new insured people as a result of the health care reform, we are going to have to figure out a way to do two principal things — continue to improve outcomes and control costs.”