Scholars to examine regulation, governance of health-care systems

An interdisciplinary symposium to examine how new forms of regulation and governance can improve health-care systems will take place Friday, October 9, at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

“Smart Regulation: Can New Types of Governance Improve Health?” will be held in room 1345 of the Health Sciences Learning Center from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Scholars from the United States and the European Union in health services research, clinical medicine, political science, public affairs, law and social work will present and comment on papers addressing the prospects for new forms of governance in many areas of the health system, according to Carolyn Heinrich, director of the La Follette School of Public Affairs, one of the primary sponsors. The school's Outreach Office is organizing the symposium.

“New governance includes a wide variety of processes but all differ from top-down, command and control style regulation,” says Louise Trubek, a University of Wisconsin–Madison clinical professor of law emerita and one of the symposium organizers. “Recent examples include public-private partnerships in electronic record adoption, public disclosure of hospital infection rates in Europe, standardized metrics for cancer treatment, and private rulemaking in organ transplantation. These innovations feature a participatory model of regulation in which multiple stakeholders collaborate to achieve a common purpose.”

The symposium is open to University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty, staff, students, and the public. No registration is required and the event is approved for nine continuing legal education credits.

Sponsors includethese University of Wisconsin–Madison units: the School of Medicine and Public Health, including the Wisconsin Partnership Program and Population Health Institute; the Center for European Studies; the European Union Center for Excellence; Wisconsin Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy; plus the Health Law Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin.

Also assisting from the University of Wisconsin–Madison are the La Follette School of Public Affairs; Law School Global Legal Studies Center; Institute for Clinical and Translational Research; Health Innovation Program; and Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center.

— posted October 2, 2009