Donna E. Shalala Shares Insights on Health Care Reform During the 30th Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference®

Former U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services Addresses 1,000 Oncologists

PLAINSBORO, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--University of Miami President and former U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services Donna E. Shalala discussed the impact of the Affordable Care Act at the 30^th Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference^® this weekend. The conference was held at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel in Miami Beach.

Shalala made it clear that the Affordable Care Act – commonly known as “Obamacare” – will cover an additional 32 million Americans, but she stressed that the health policy doesn’t fundamentally change the health care system to address the issues of affordability, access and payment reform. She added that those issues will be addressed in the next five years.

In front of an audience of more than 1,000 medical, surgical and radiation oncologists and other health care professionals, Shalala described the Affordable Care Act as a tremendous advance, noting that more needs to be done to reorganize the health care system. These efforts should restrict the payment system and focus on more value- and evidence-based care, she said. She indicated that by working as a health care team, we can begin to tackle the affordability and access issues in health care.

Shalala served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services for eight years under President Bill Clinton, giving her a singular insight into how the coming changes to our health care system will unfold in the medical field. Shalala is the longest-serving Health & Human Services secretary in U.S. history.

Her address was part of the four-day conference on breast cancer care that attracts the world’s top minds in oncology. This annual conference is hosted by Physicians’ Education Resource (PER), the go-to source for excellence in continuing medical education.

The Miami Breast Cancer Conference was chaired by Dr. Daniel Osman, a Miami breast cancer surgeon who founded the event in 1983 and has led it every year. During this milestone year, pioneers of innovative approaches from around the world provided insight into the optimal management of patients with breast cancer. Dr. Osman and other thought leaders provided attendees with opportunities to interact with the faculty through open discussions, as well as share clinical experiences, solve clinical problems, clarify best practices and discuss well-established and emerging therapeutic options.

PER is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide learning opportunities for physicians. Incorporating instructional design with principles of adult learning, PER plans, develops, implements and evaluates educational opportunities, including multi-day congresses, one-day update conferences, regional meetings, online case discussions and faculty dialogues. These educational activities enable health care professionals to remain current and responsive to advances in medical care for cancer patients, from diagnosis through treatment, with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.

To review PER’s calendar of annual continuing education conferences, please visit www.gotoper.com.

About Physicians’ Education Resource, LLC

Accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), Physicians’ Education Resource (PER) is the certified medical education resource of choice for live and online activities focusing on oncology and hematology. Based on identified needs and practice gaps, PER provides high-quality, evidence- based activities featuring leading national and international faculty with a focus on practice-changing advances and standards of care in treatment and disease management. PER serves the oncology health care community, including physicians, fellows, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, nurses, pharmacists and researchers. Learn more at www.gotoper.com.