Leah Binder, M.A., MGA, has been appointed CEO of The Leapfrog Group. Ms. Binder is replacing Suzanne Delbanco, the organization's first CEO, who left in October to pursue other opportunities in the health care industry. Currently vice president of Franklin Community Health Network (FCHN) based in Farmington, Maine, Binder oversees operations for the system involving marketing, planning and public health outreach, and also serves as executive director of the Healthy Community Coalition (HCC) and Franklin Health Access. Before arriving in Farmington, Binder served as senior policy advisor to New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani where she developed programs to improve care of the uninsured. She began her career in health policy with the National League for Nursing where she served as public policy director.

The National Pay for Performance Summit to be held February 27-29 will address efficiency measurement and transparency in keynote presentations, panel discussions, mini summits, and pre-conference symposia. Front and center to this agenda are some fundamental questions about efficiency measurement:

• Is efficiency measurement ready for prime time?
• Is there a common definition of efficiency?
• Should cost of care be evaluated outside of the context of quality of care?
• What are the technical issues that undermine the precision of efficiency measurement?

These questions will be discussed and debated along with other topics highlighting the tension between the drive for cost management by purchasers and the sense that provider are being "judged" using questionable methods. Our panelists on Friday, February 29 - Day Three of the summit include the following industry leaders:

• Howard Beckman, MD, Medical Director, Rochester Individual Practice Association, Clinical Professor of Medicine and Family Practice, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
• Steve Ellwing, Director, Physician Practice Advocacy, American Medical Association, Chicago, IL
• Arnie Milstein, MD, National Thought Leader, Mercer Health & Benefits, Medical Director, Pacific Business Group on Health, Chair, Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA) P4P Steering Committee, San Francisco, CA
• Thomas B. Valuck, MD, MHSA, JD, Medical Officer and Director, Special Program Office of Value-Based Purchasing, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC
• Mark D. Smith, MD, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer, California HealthCare Foundation, Oakland, CA (Moderator)

In addition to keynote presentations and panel discussion at the policy and strategic level, Day Three of our conference includes a Mini Summit for additional detail on efficiency measurement. This Mini Summit incorporates a panel conversation with the audience on the trials and tribulations of efficiency and provides key learnings from the following experienced leaders:

• Howard Beckman, MD, Medical Director, Rochester Individual Practice Association, Clinical Professor of Medicine and Family Practice, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY (Mini Summit Moderator)

• Chris R. Cammisa, MD, Medical Director, Partnership HealthPlan of California, Fairfield, CA
• Robert A. Greene, MD, FACP, Chief Executive Officer, Focused Medical Analytics, LLC, Rochester, NY
• Michael T. Myers, Jr., MD, MBA, Associate Medical Director, Partners Community HealthCare, Inc., Needham, MA
• Wells Shoemaker, MD, Medical Director, California Association of Physician Groups, Los Angeles, CA
• Thomas B. Valuck, MD, MHSA, JD, Medical Officer and Director, Special Program Office of Value-Based Purchasing Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC

Prior to the National Pay for Performance Summit opening on Wednesday, February 27, 2008, we offer a pre-conference on implementing efficiency measurement in pay for performance sponsored by Thomson Healthcare.

• Introduction by Jeff Hanson, VP, Pay for Performance, Thomson Healthcare
• Analytics & Methodologies by Bob Kelley, VP, Healthcare Analytics, Thomson Healthcare and David Schutt, M.D., Assoc. Medical Director, Thomson Healthcare
• The National Perspective – Washington & Beyond by Joachim Roski, Managing Director, High-Value Healthcare Project, Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, The Brookings Institute
• Implementing Efficiency Measurement by Jon Conklin, VP, Research, Thomson Healthcare
• Provider Perspective: Efficiency Measurement – Friend or Foe? By Michael van Duren, MD, MBA, VP, Clinical Services, Hill Physicians Medical Group

• Mini Summit I: Physician Engagement in P4P: Case Studies
• Mini Summit II: Medicaid Pay for Performance Programs
• Mini Summit III: Performance Measurement and Data Collection: A Balancing Act
• Mini Summit IV: Health Disparities and Pay for Performance
• Mini Summit V: Making Efficiency Measurement Work
• Mini Summit VI: Value Based Benefit Design and Pay for Performance
• Mini Summit VII: Designing Reimbursement, Payment and Incentives

Summit topics will include presentations, panel discussions and case studies from leading researchers, policy experts and pay for performance administrators. Technical experts in performance measurement, data collection, public reporting and incentive design will also lend their experience and perspectives to the Summit proceedings.

• Designing Pay for Performance Programs
• Medicare Hospital and Physician Pay for Performance Programs
• State Medicaid Pay for Performance Programs
• Standardizing Performance Measurement
• Efficiency Measurement in Pay for Performance
• Aligning Payment Reform and Care Integration
• Latest Research Findings in Pay for Performance
• Information Technology: It's Role in Pay for Performance
• Data Collection: Practical Challenges and Solutions
• Transparency and Public Reporting
• Pay for Performance and Health Disparities
• Integrating Cultural Competency in Pay for Performance
• Specialty Societies and Pay for Performance
• Case Studies: Physician and Hospital Pay for Performance Programs