Essay contest: When were you made aware of the true cost of care?

Cost of Care, a Boston-based nonprofit that seeks to make doctors more aware of the costs their decisions place on patients, is inviting doctors, nurses and patients to write an essay about an event that made them more aware of the costs of medical care.

The goal of the essay contest is to draw attention to how individual clinicians and patients can identify and act to curb excessive health care spending.

Two $1000 prizes will be awarded to the top submissions – one prize will go to a clinician such as a doctor or nurse, and one prize will go to a patient.

Finalist submissions will be judged by:

• Gov. Michael Leavitt, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services

• Atul Gawande, surgeon and New Yorker staff writer

• Tim Johnson, Chief Medical Correspondent of ABC News

• Jeffrey Flier, Dean of Harvard Medical School

• Gov. Michael Dukakis, former Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

All submissions will be due on November 1st, 2010.

Three clinician finalists and three non-clinician finalists will be announced on November 15th, and the $1000 prize winners will be announced on December 15th.

Finalist anecdotes will be discussed in a high-profile Spring 2011 event, featuring analysis from a multidisciplinary group of thought-leaders.

Details:

• Entries must be no longer than 750 words and should be typed and double-spaced. Students strongly encouraged to submit an anecdote.
• E-mail submissions to contest@costsofcare.org are preferred, however entries may also be mailed to: Costs of Care, 21 Father Gilday Street, Suite 115, Boston, MA 02118.

Please direct all contest-related inquiries to info@costsofcare.org

About Costs of Care

Costs of Care is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that gives patients and healthcare workers the information they need to deflate medical bills.

To learn more visit the Cost of Care website: www.costofcare.org

Tags: Cost of Care, Essay Contest, Health-care Policy

Category: News