U.S. France International Meeting on Care for High-Need, High-Cost Patients

The one and one-half day meeting in 2016 will convene 24 leading U.S. and French health care policymakers, delivery system leaders, and researchers to examine and compare delivery system reforms both in the U.S. and France and their potential to improve health care quality, integration, and costs for patients with complex health and social needs. The meeting will focus on national policy frameworks, payment mechanisms, and innovative frontline delivery system models in both countries, with commissioned papers providing the starting point for discussion. Drawing on findings from the Fund’s 2015 International Survey of Primary Care Physicians, participants will also explore U.S. and French primary care doctors’ perceptions of readiness to manage high-need, high-cost patients, differences in practice capacity and infrastructure, meaningful use of electronic medical records, and views of their health care system. Using case studies of innovative care models for high-need, high-cost patients, participants will also look at how care is organized, with consideration given to the potential transferability of French frontline delivery system innovations to the U.S. Project findings will inform health system leaders in their efforts to improve care for complex patients and policymakers and payers in designing options for care delivery and payment reforms. The meeting will also build networks for ongoing knowledge exchange between France and the U.S.