Sacramento Healthcare Decisions

SHD facilitates interactive small group sessions with healthcare, business and community organizations, challenging their leaders to address one of the toughest questions in health policy: What is the minimum healthcare coverage that everyone should have?

Using a computer-based tool called CHAT (see description below), SHD leads these two-hour sessions in California and other states. CHAT is a particularly engaging tool for Board meetings, retreats, conferences and training programs. To learn more about using CHAT, contact SHD.

What others are saying:
National Society of Actuaries
State Coverage Initiatives

Among recent groups holding CHAT sessions by SHD:

The session prompted many in our group to rethink assumptions about basic health care. CHAT raises important questions for anyone working in healthcare policy.
--Kate McGarvey, Health Consumer Alliance Director

California groups:

Community Health Alliance of Humboldt-Del Norte
Fresno Healthy Communities Access Partners
San Mateo County's Health Care Model Workgroup
Leadership Sacramento of the Chamber of Commerce
Assembly, Senate and Executive Fellows programs
Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board staff
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Policy Fellows
California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, Board of Directors
CaliforniaKids (LA) Board of Directors
Sutter Health Sacramento regional Board of Directors
Woodland Healthcare Board of Directors
Department of Managed Health Care staff
ABD Insurance & Financial Services
Sierra College faculty
UCSF medical residents

Other states and national groups:

State Coverage Initiatives Program, Summer workshop for state officials
Society of Actuaries, Spring conference
Department of Insurance, Columbus, Ohio
American Leadership Forum, Houston, Texas
Department of Insurance, Helena, Montana
Department of Insurance, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Department of Insurance, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

the CHATŽ tool

CHAT (Choosing Healthplans All Together) is a computer simulation game developed by physician ethicists at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Michigan, whereby participants are faced with making decisions about health benefits packages when there are more choices than resources.

This stimulating and educational process takes place in a 2-hour discussion group where participants design a health coverage package, individually and as a group. The CHAT game is conducted using individual computers combined with group discussion that involves negotiation, compromise and consensus-building.