Shalala to be keynote speaker on ethics of managed health care

Donna Shalala

Donna E. Shalala, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will be the keynote speaker at a symposium on ethical issues involved in managed health care to be held on campus Thursday, March 25.

The Grainger Business Ethics Symposium, sponsored by the School of Business, is titled, “The Ethics of Managed Care: Balancing Patients’ Health and Corporate Profits.” The event will be held at the business school’s Grainger Hall from 5-7:15 p.m.

Shalala, former chancellor of UW–Madison, will speak on “Putting People First: Patient Care in the Age of Corporate Medicine.” She will also take part in panel discussions of the proposed Patients’ Bill of Rights, which has been considered by Congress, and on ethical decisions facing physicians, who must balance best care for their patients with the corporate bottom line.

In addition to Shalala, participants include: Timothy Flaherty, secretary- treasurer, American Medical Association; John M. Wray, senior vice president, managed care Catholic Healthcare West Medical Foundation; R. Alta Charo, professor of law and medical ethics, UW–Madison; and Christopher Queram, CEO, the Employer Health Care Alliance Cooperative. The business school’s Laura Hartman, visiting associate professor of business ethics, will moderate the discussion.

Since 1993, the Grainger Business Ethics Symposium has examined several aspects of business ethics, including ethical dilemmas in reducing the federal deficit, the genetic revolution and international business. The series is funded by The Grainger Foundation.

The event is free, but seating is limited. Faculty and staff interested in attending are asked to e-mail the business school’s Aimee Hambleton at: ahambleton@bus.wisc.edu.