World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) Joins Forces with Health Affairs to Launch September Issue

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of its September issue, Health Affairs today published ten articles focusing on global healthcare policy written by World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) authors and contributors. WISH is a global initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

The launch of the new issue of Health Affairs took place at the National Press Club in Washington DC and brought together representatives from the healthcare sector representing academia, healthcare, and the media, including leading healthcare experts:

• Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham, Executive Chair of WISH and Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London;
• Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, Director, Initiative of Global Health Innovation at the Brookings Institution, Washington DC; and
• Professor Alex "Sandy" Pentland, Director, Human Dynamics Laboratory, and Toshiba Professor of Media Arts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Professor the Lord Darzi discussed some of the key healthcare topics which are covered by the September Health Affairs issue, and highlighted the role WISH is playing to address today's most pressing global healthcare challenges.

"Collaboration underpins everything we do at WISH – the publication of ten WISH inspired articles today by Health Affairs is an excellent example of how our global community of healthcare experts supports the spread of new ideas by sharing high quality content and research," said Lord Darzi. "The world is facing a range of complex health challenges, from tackling obesity to advancing the use of big data to improve patient care, and international cooperation is crucial if we are to succeed. This Health Affairs edition will make our work easily accessible and readily available to healthcare professionals in the US and around the world."

Mark McClellan, who chaired WISH's Accountable Care Forum last year, spoke about his article on accountable care entitled 'Accountable Care Around The World: A Framework to Guide Reform Strategies and to Achieve Progress'.

"The growing prevalence of chronic disease, aging of populations, and increasing capabilities of medical technology are increasing the need for more effective ways of delivering health care to improve patient experience and health outcomes while reducing health care costs. Accountable care - a way to align payments and policies with patient-focused reform goals - is being pursued in the United States and a growing range of countries to achieve meaningful health care reform.  Our article draws on experience and perspectives with accountable care in the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Singapore, and other diverse health care systems to describe how policymakers around the world can use accountable care principles to achieve their reform goals." said McClellan.

In addition to the accountable care article, the September issue of Health Affairs features nine other WISH inspired articles about the following key global healthcare issues:

• Social Networking Strategies That Aim To Reduce Obesity Have Achieved Significant Although Modest Results, by Hutan Ashrafian and co-authors
• How Google's 'Ten Things We Know To Be True' Could Guide The Development Of Mental Health Mobile Apps, by Sarah P. Jones and co-authors
• Developing Public Policy To Advance The Use Of Big Data In Health Care, by Axel Heitmueller and co-authors
• Antimicrobial Resistance: Addressing The Global Threat Through Greater Awareness And Transformative Action, by Oliver P. Keown and co-authors
• Lessons From Eight Countries On Diffusing Innovation In Health Care, by Oliver P. Keown and co-authors
• Challenges In Adapting International Best Practices In Cancer Prevention, Care, And Research for Qatar, by Peter J. Howitt and co-authors
• Policy Actions To Achieve Integrated Community-Based Mental Health Services, by Mary DeSilva and co-authors
• Innovation Can Improve And Expand Aspects Of End-Of-Life-Care In Low And Middle-Income Countries, by Mark R. Steedman and co-authors
• Patient Engagement: Four Case Studies That Highlight The Potential For Improved Health Outcomes And Reduced Costs, by Jeremy Laurance and co-authors

"Health Affairs' inclusion of ten articles written by WISH authors and contributors in its latest issue demonstrates the progress made by Qatar and Qatar Foundation in becoming a key influence for change in the global healthcare sphere. The high quality and original work of the papers being published by Health Affairs signal that WISH is on the right track in addressing some of the most pressing healthcare challenges seen across the world today," said Engineer Saad Al Muhannadi, President of Qatar Foundation.

WISH's special contribution to the latest Health Affairs journal reflects its increasingly prominent role in bringing together leading innovators in healthcare policy, research and industry, and providing evidence-based research to address pressing global health challenges.

For more information about WISH and the 2015 Summit, please visit www.wish.org.qa.

Notes to Editors:

About the World Innovation Summit for Health:

The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) is a global healthcare community dedicated to capturing and disseminating the best evidence-based ideas and practices. WISH is an initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) and is under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, its Chairperson.

The inaugural WISH Summit took place in Doha in 2013 and convened more than 1,000 global healthcare leaders. Through annual Summits and a range of ongoing initiatives, WISH is creating a global community of leading innovators in healthcare policy, research and industry.

Together, they are harnessing the power of innovation to overcome the world's most urgent healthcare challenges and inspire other stakeholders to action. For more information visit: www.wish.org.qa. For more information about Qatar Foundation please visit: www.qf.org.qa

SOURCE World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH)