Wye River Group on Healthcare Overview

Wye River Group on Healthcare (WRGH) and its affiliate Foundation for American Health Care Leadership^sm (FAHCL) are nonpartisan, not for profit entities, which serve as catalysts to raise awareness and broaden perspectives to enable constructive healthcare change.

WRGH and FAHCL create an intellectual exchange of fresh ideas in a neutral environment, employing a dynamic process that works to stay ahead of emerging trends. We identify and advance approaches to healthcare finance, delivery, quality and cultural change, with broad application to healthcare policy and the marketplace. This is accomplished through multiple educational outlets in and outside of Washington, DC.

The strength of this work rests on the active engagement of a cross-section of stakeholders committed to advancing common goals. The unique, inclusive process employed in reaching agreement on issues helps ensure its viability in the public policy arena and in the marketplace.

Our philosophical underpinning is a desire to develop and articulate a common vision for health and healthcare in America, through public-private cooperation and collaboration, working through the two branches of the organization. WRGH principally operates within the Washington, DC environment, whereas the Foundation generates ideas from the community level and champions them upstream.

WRGH

WRGH has served as a non-partisan sounding board and ad hoc advisory panel to state and congressional leadership since 1988, quietly vetting many health care financing proposals, quality initiatives, and incentive and infrastructure concepts. Its work was formalized with its incorporation in June, 2001 as a not for profit 501c3 organization. Continuing its tradition of focus on national policy in Washington, DC, a 'macro' perspective, we work with leaders from the executive branch, administrative agencies, congress, and trade and professional associations.

We successfully convene a broad cross section of executive level stakeholders and, through expert meeting facilitation, identify and highlight viable public policy pathways that can be collectively advanced through regulatory, administrative and legislative venues. This process is primarily focused on Washington stakeholders, but involves community leaders as appropriate

FAHCL

The Foundation for American Health Care Leadership^sm was launched in January, 2004. Its activities complement the work of WRGH by capturing and advancing community ideas, a 'micro' perspective, and by promoting visionary healthcare leadership. The Foundation fulfills the desire expressed by healthcare thought leaders who have participated in our "Communities Shaping a Vision for America's 21st Century Health & Healthcare" initiative since 2002. These executives appreciate the value of collective insight in working through many complex issues. They desire a neutral venue for interacting with peers across sectors and for impacting the policy making process at the state and national levels.

The Foundation facilitates intellectual exchange of ideas among senior corporate and public sector executives across America to promote constructive change from within the industry, drawing on the experience of community leaders. As a result of the Foundation's work, we continuously identify the implications of community learning and advance practical next steps for private and public health sector leadership and public policy.

The Synergy

WRGH and FAHCL work together, by combining the 'macro' and the 'micro' perspectives on public policy, to create knowledge transfer and identify viable solutions to healthcare challenges.

Participation in WRGH and FAHCL projects and meetings is by invitation only. Inclusion of both Washington-based and community-based organizations in our work helps to ensure the appropriate combination of the ideological and the practical. WRGH meetings are generally conducted in Washington, DC, whereas Foundation meetings typically take place outside the nation's capital. Joint sponsorship of meetings and projects is common.

Our success depends on maintaining our image as neutral catalysts skilled at creating an environment of trust and in setting the stage for dialogue involving diverse interests within an 'apolitical' philosophical framework.

Funding

Funding for our work is balanced and comes from a wide variety of sources in the public and private sectors, both within and outside the healthcare industry, as well as from the general public. This approach preserves our integrity and helps to avoid adverse speculation around our purpose.