Birmingham, AL. - The Birmingham Business Journal published an article with interviews from Birmingham health care professionals on the future of the health care industry. Birmingham-based partner and head of Burr & Forman's Health Care section, Howard E. Bogard, was interviewed in this Table of Experts series.

Q: What are the key factors that will shape the future of health care in America?
Howard E. Bogard: There are numerous factors, but they can generally be summarized as accountability and transparency. We are seeing payers and employers demand demonstrated quality. Providers who don't meet quality criteria are subject to exclusion from panels, financial penalties or overall decreased reimbursement. Then on the transparency side, Medicare is publishing data about physicians and hospitals. Insurers are also making comparison data available. Increasingly, patients will review their physicians or other providers and ask "Are there outcomes good?" At the 50,000- foot level, these are the things that are going to shape how Congress approaches health care, and how Medicare and payers approach health care. The providers have to react. They have to be able to demonstrate good quality and efficiency, which means cost-effective care. And, of course, they need to make sure the patients are happy.

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For over a century, Burr & Forman LLP's experienced legal team has served clients with local, national, and international interests in numerous industry and practice areas, ranging from commercial litigation and class actions to corporate transactions, including bankruptcy and restructurings. A Southeast regional firm with nearly 300 attorneys and nine offices in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee, Burr & Forman attorneys draw from a diverse range of resources to help clients achieve their goals and address their complex legal needs. For more information, visit the firm's website at www.burr.com.