Along wit
h the employers and other purchasers who lead Leapfrog’s nonprofit movement for giant “leaps forward” in health care quality, I congratulate Representative Tom Price on his confirmation as Secretary of Health and Human Services. We have been encouraged by Dr. Price’s ironclad commitment to putting the patient first in health policymaking, and look forward to his leadership as the nation considers the many opportunities in front of us to improve patient care. For instance, reducing patient harm from errors and infections—which recent research calculates as the third leading cause of death in the United States—holds enormous opportunity for saving lives, and as a bonus, saving significant wasted dollars at the same time.
As Secretary Price lays out the Administration’s vision for the future of health care, he draws on deep understanding, as a physician and as a policymaker, of the need for a public accountability to the patient. While policymakers must address how we finance coverage, they must also address how we provide care. As I have outlined, there are numerous ways President Trump, Secretary Price and Congressional leaders can improve the lives of patients while cutting waste at the same time, and we look forward to assisting Secretary Price in achieving this. All Americans deserve the highest quality, most transparent health care system in the world.