'Ask the Experts' addresses health care transparency

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The latest episode in the “Ask the Experts” series features Jessica Altman, insurance commissioner for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, discussing the importance of transparency in health care and the Pennsylvania Shoppable Care Work Group, whose primary goal is to enhance consumers' ability to shop for health care.

Watch the interview. 

In the “Ask the Experts” video series, produced by the Center for Health Care and Policy Research (CHCPR) at Penn State, leaders in the industry share their perspectives on key topics affecting health care delivery and policy. The series is designed to reveal where and how important policy and practice topics intersect, and highlight ways in which research can advance that integration.

View past episodes of “Ask the Experts.”

Altman was appointed acting insurance commissioner on Aug.19, 2017, and unanimously confirmed on March 20, 2018. Prior to this, she served as chief of staff for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department alongside former Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller beginning in June 2015. In this position, she served as the top aide to Miller, oversaw policy initiatives for the agency, and coordinated policy with other state government agencies and external groups.

Dennis Scanlon, distinguished professor of health policy and administration and director of CHCPR in the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State, interviews the guests on “Ask the Experts” series. Scanlon’s research focuses on understanding the role of measurement, incentives, quality improvement, and individual and organizational behavior change for improving important health care outcomes, including clinical quality, patient experience and economic efficiency. 

The mission of CHCPR is to create and disseminate new scientific knowledge that will help private and public decision-makers to develop cost effective services and programs that improve people's health. CHCPR helps researchers interested in all aspects of health services and health care improvement find funding, develop quality research designs, collect and analyze data, and disseminate findings to the right audiences.