Dear All

The EHMA have announced their call for papers for their annual conference next summer in Lyon. The theme is Managing Values in Health Care. The deadline for receipt of abstracts is 15th January

Some info below - full details at 

http://www.ehma.org/_fileupload/File/EHMA_2007_Call_for_papers.pdf

Best wishes
David McDaid
LSE Health and Social Care


Introduction 
New values have been introduced in health care in the last two decades. The introduction of regulated competition in a number of countries has been accompanied by greater discretionary power for health care delivery organisations and a more dominant role for patients. These have led to greater freedom of choice for patients and freedom of strategy for delivery organisations. Making profit in health care has become increasingly acceptable (at least in some countries) as has the use of market-driven incentives such as claiming a larger market share. Money has become a value in itself. Sometimes it seems as if we are dealing with a money-driven system with efficiency as the principal performance indicator for success. 
It seems as if this new market/profit/efficiency paradigm has transformed health care into a business similar to any other business, ignoring the original core values in health care - equal access for all citizens, a solidarity based system, quality standards set by the professional community, and caring and serving as values in themselves. Health care delivery occurs largely as an interaction between professional and patient. The quality of the relationship between professional and patient is vital for the quality of care in all health care organisations. 
There is a serious risk that values will disappear in face of market forces that can undermine the solidarity of the system, introducing inequality in access and quality. The currently popular performance indicators primarily measure quantifiable outputs and unfortunately we do not have efficiency parameters which can measure caring, compassion and empathy. It therefore becomes difficult to convince managers and policymakers that these are values which deserve serious attention. 
Health care delivery needs to be based on trust - trust between doctor and patient but also trust between policy makers and health care managers. This trust relation is at risk when control mechanisms, accounting procedures and measurable indicators and benchmarks are used as the basis to judge performance. There is a need to reconcile both elements - values and measurable performance. High trust needs high transparency. 
Aim of the conference 
During the 2007 conference we will explore different approaches to values in Europe. The aim of the conference is to explore the relationship between values and performance measures, going beyond the ideological dichotomy of public-private, and state versus market. Instead of increasing the gap between a market and efficiency-oriented approach on the one hand, and a caring and serving approach on the other hand, we want to focus on the possibilities and practices of more effective combinations of these two sets of values. The conference seeks to explore how the clash between value sets can be addressed. Is it possible to reconcile both sets of values and look for a common denominator? 
Keynote speakers 
	Keynote speakers will address the following themes: 
	* Analysis of the French health care system: Jean-Paul Claverenne 
	* Value driven health care in France: to be announced 
	* Values: a philosophical and historical perspective on values in modern society with a focus on the issue of trust: Dame Rennie Fritchie 
	* Values in health care: changes, clashes and combinations over time: Prof. David J. Hunter 

* Managing values in health care: focusing on how to work with values in health care organisations: to be announced 

How can we reconcile the market-related aspects of consumer driven care with the caring and serving values? Is it possible to have a health care system that at the same time introduces market incentives and 
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fosters equal access for all citizens? Can professional values and standards be matched with cost effectiveness and efficiency targets and output control? 
How far do managerial tools really achieve better health, or have they diverted managers from caring for patients and better health for the population? 
What kind of leadership is required to handle the growing number of ethical issues and questions that confront health care professionals and managers on a daily basis? 
How can the usual dichotomy between management and professionals be bridged in favour of a cooperative strategy towards a common goal? 
How can we incorporate the promotion of health as a value in itself and the value of professional work in the delivery of health care? 
Experience in combining these two perspectives and the need to develop the concepts further takes place at different levels: 
	a) At the policy level we see that, in many countries, healthcare reforms try to accommodate market forces and regulated competition with solidarity, equal access and national professional quality standards. Although the discretionary power of service deliverers increases, they are still embedded in a national policy framework. 
	b) At the organisational level the possible clash between the two value sets is visible, especially in terms of the relationship between management and professionals. 

c) At the community level there is also a search for a combined strategy to give greater voice to consumers, trying to meet the needs of the population and improve their health while, on the other hand, the continuity goals, efficiency targets of the service deliverer might not favor such a community orientation.