[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 170 (Tuesday, November 17, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H13009]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     PUTTING PATIENTS' NEEDS FIRST

  (Mr. WALZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WALZ. I'm here today to applaud this House for fighting for 
working Americans by last weekend passing comprehensive welfare reform. 
I want to recognize this legislation takes a huge step forward in 
addressing the issue of paying for value in our health care system.
  The current payment system rewards volume and quantity of care rather 
than quality of care. We spend hundreds of billions of dollars every 
year on unnecessary tests and procedures that do not improve a 
patient's health. We need to change the incentive system. We need 
doctors and hospitals to work together to coordinate care, putting the 
patients' needs first.
  In my district of southern Minnesota, the Mayo Clinic has created 
such a culture where doctors coordinate and look for the best quality 
results. There are other institutions around the country who also 
provide high-quality, efficient care at low costs. These organizations 
all do it differently, but the one thing they have in common is a 
culture of patient-centered care.
  This culture needs to be replicated in every hospital across the 
country, and the way we get there is by changing the incentive system. 
I'm very proud that the provisions in this bill will address this very 
issue. If we're to reform any part of health care this year, this is 
the key.

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