New head of Louisiana Business Group on Health

Diane Davidson was named chairman of the board for the Louisiana Business Group on Health at its annual luncheon today in Baton Rouge. The public policy arm of the Louisiana Health Care Alliance represents about 200 employers, including Cleco Corp. and Dow Chemical Co. At the meeting, members discussed plans for health care reform circulating in Washington, frowning on a public option but calling for a new emphasis among providers on preventive care rather than chronic disease treatment. Davidson says the group wants doctors to get away from the “fee-for-service” model that operates assembly-line style. “We need to figure out a way not to pay doctors based on how many patients they see rather than the quality of the outcome,” she says. Davidson is the employee benefits manager for Roy O. Martin Lumber Co. in Alexandria and says one of LBGH’s goals is to broaden its membership outside the Capital Region and represent the entire state. Outgoing chairman Bill Borne, CEO of Amedisys, told attendees that he likes the idea of co-ops instead of government-run health care for the 47 million uninsured Americans. “The biggest threat to us as employers,” he says, “is the public option. The bottom line is, most health care works OK. We’re not going to see a big change in how health care is delivered.”—Todd R. Brown