Philadelphia, PA – Dr. I. Steven Udvarhelyi, chief strategy officer and executive vice president of Health Services at Independence Blue Cross (Independence), spoke today at the 21st annual Wharton Health Care Business Conference, a leading health care business forum for industry professionals, academics, and students hosted at the Union League in Philadelphia.
Dr. Udvarhelyi oversees the Independence Blue Cross Center for Health Care Innovation, which aims to champion health care entrepreneurism in the region, and act as a catalyst for innovations that lead to superior care at lower costs.
In his afternoon keynote address, Dr. Udvarhelyi spoke about the challenges facing the health care industry today, specifically balancing cost, quality, and access issues with finding new and better ways to deliver health care. Dr. Udvarhelyi’s talk highlighted the following:
- Health care challenges: such as rising health care costs, and disparities in health care outcomes;
- The need for change: variations in care delivery and high numbers of people delaying care due to cost concerns;
- Opportunities for solutions: engaging and enabling doctors and consumers to improve health care;
- Role for innovation: helping to launch new models of care and enhancing the end-to-end patient experience.
The 2015 Wharton Health Care Business Conference is a two-day event with over 500 attendees from across the nation. It features distinguished speakers, dynamic panel discussions, special events, and various networking opportunities.
Independence Blue Cross is the leading health insurance organization in southeastern Pennsylvania. With our affiliates, we serve nearly 10 million people in 25 states and the District of Columbia, including 2.5 million in the region. For more than 75 years, we have been enhancing the health and wellness of the people and communities we serve by delivering innovative and competitively priced health care products and services; pioneering new ways to reward doctors, hospitals, and other health care professionals for coordinated, quality care; and supporting programs and events that promote wellness. To learn more about how we’re changing the game, visit www.ibx.com. Connect with us on Facebook at ibx.com/facebook and on Twitter at @ibx. Independence Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
Media contacts
Ruth Stoolman
Independence Blue Cross
215-241-4807 (office)
215-280-3335 (cell)
ruth.stoolman@ibx.com