Dayton panel decries wasteful health care spending

Better coordination of care and reducing wasteful spending are the only way skyrocketing health care costs will be reigned in, a panel of health care professionals concluded at a Nov. 18 event in Dayton  (Source: “Rising health care costs sting region,” Dayton Business Journal, Nov. 21, 2008).

The event, Business of Health—Affordability, was sponsored by the Dayton Business Journal and included representatives from UnitedHealthcare of Southwest Ohio, Premier Health Partners, Wright State Physicians and CareSource Management Group.

 “There is an opportunity for change here,” said Dr. Richard Shonk of UnitedHealthcare, who estimated that as much as 25 percent of heath care spending is wasteful. “We need to change the structure to a system that supports the coordination of care.”