Altarum Health Policy Blog’s New Content Ideal for Journalists and Health Policy Experts

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Altarum Institute, a nonprofit health systems research and consulting organization, has re-vamped its Health Policy Forum “blog” for 2010. With a fresh look and new content, the blog is now tailored to the interests of journalists and health policy experts looking for thought-provoking commentary and analysis of the most pressing issues in health care today.

“Providing fresh, thought-provoking commentary and analysis on America’s health care challenges is core to Altarum’s mission”

For 2010, the Health Policy Forum is introducing new “special contributors” who write either monthly or bi-monthly columns. Zack Cooper of the London School of Economics, Joanne Kenen of New America Foundation, and Serena Vinter of Trust for America’s Health are the first three special contributors. Cooper will write on health policy issues from the international and comparative perspective, while Kenen will write about successful examples of innovation in health care. Vinter’s column will focus on the need to include prevention and wellness in our discussions about the health system.

“Providing fresh, thought-provoking commentary and analysis on America’s health care challenges is core to Altarum’s mission,” said Lincoln Smith, President and CEO of Altarum Institute. “Our special contributors on the Health Policy Forum are the best in their field. Their regular columns will provide a continuous dialogue on health care policy and – I believe – stimulate a needed ongoing conversation about the challenges we face today.”

In addition to the special contributors, the Health Policy Forum will also be hosting a quarterly series of postings from invited guest authors on select topics, including health and wellness policy, health economics, and the challenges of health equity in America.

Altarum launched the Health Policy Forum in 2008. Starting with a handful of readers, the blog has developed a following of close to a 1,000 visitors a month. Guest authors have included Rep. John Dingell, Harvard’s David R. Williams, and AMA President J. James Rohack. The Forum’s content is regularly cited in Kaiser Family Foundation’s health policy news and blog reports.

To read the Health Policy Forum, visit www.altarum.org/blog.

Altarum Institute (www.altarum.org) integrates objective research and client-centered consulting skills to deliver comprehensive, systems-based solutions that improve health and health care. Altarum employs more than 350 individuals and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich. with additional offices in the Washington, D.C. area; Atlanta, Ga.; Portland, Maine; and San Antonio, Texas.