(note from Tony: I talked to the President of US Preventive Medicine last week, and I think they are on to something. Here's a letter from them. Not everyday that a healthcare company purchases full-page ads in NYT, Washington Post, and USAToday to write a letter to the American public and the American government. My guess is their response to this will be overwhelmingly positive - what do you think?)

To President George W. Bush, Members of Congress and the American Public:

As Americans await the State of the Union Address, the nation is hoping to hear a fresh approach to our healthcare challenges. Our country spends $2.2 trillion on healthcare annually, yet it’s been estimated that only four percent is devoted to prevention. Consequently, the U.S. is experiencing alarming levels of obesity and serious illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

We believe a far greater emphasis on prevention is the solution to this problem – putting in place programs, protocols and procedures that detect and treat health risks early, preventing them from becoming life-threatening diseases.

The prevention model of healthcare holds enormous promise for individuals, employers, healthcare providers and policymakers. Embraced nationally, it will save lives, extend the period of healthy life, reduce healthcare costs and improve the productivity and vitality of our nation.

We are proud to introduce U.S. Preventive Medicine®, a new company dedicated entirely to prevention. As representatives of senior management and the company’s Advisory Boards, we enthusiastically support its mission: to organize and advance a culture of prevention throughout America by partnering with hospitals, physicians and employers – all with the goal of enabling individuals to enjoy more good years.

Since we first published this letter, we’ve heard from a broad spectrum of health systems, physicians, employers, organizations and individual consumers. They have overwhelmingly endorsed this approach to healthcare as being long overdue. Clearly America is ready for prevention!

In the coming weeks and months, you will learn more about this exciting prevention-based approach to healthcare, including the prestigious health systems that are establishing Centers for Preventive Medicine. You will also hear about The Prevention Plan™, a groundbreaking benefit that will make preventive health services available to millions of consumers nationwide through their employers.

The next generation of healthcare in America has arrived. We encourage Americans to embrace it!

Christopher T. Fey
Founder, Chairman
Chief Executive Officer
U.S. Preventive Medicine

Boyd D. Lyles, Jr., M.D.
Executive Vice President,
Chief Medical Officer
U.S. Preventive Medicine

David B. Nash, M.D., MBA
Chair, Dept. of Health Policy
Jefferson Medical College
Chair, National Advisory Board
U.S. Preventive Medicine

Brian J. Baum
President,Chief Operating Officer
U.S. Preventive Medicine

Barry B. Bercu, M.D.
Professor of Pediatrics, Molecular
Pharmacology and Physiology
University of South Florida
College of Medicine

John Ferry, M.D.
Director
Navigant Consulting, Inc.

Lynn Helmer, M.D.,
FACP, MBA, FACPE
President
DRD Consulting, Inc.

M. Akram Khan, M.D.
President
Cardiac Center of Texas

S. Jay Olshansky, Ph.D.
Professor
School of Public Health
University of Illinois at Chicago

Thomas J. Fogarty, M.D.
President
Fogarty Engineering
Clinical Professor of Surgery
Stanford University

R. Allen Lawhead Jr., M.D.
Director
Women’s Cancer Alliance

Ron Loeppke, M.D., MPH,
FACPM
Fellow
American College of
Preventive Medicine

John A. Rumberger, M.D.
Director of Cardiac Imaging
Princeton Longevity Center

Douglas S. Peters, LFACHE
Former President and CEO
Jefferson Health System
Former President
Henry Ford Hospital

James F. Fries, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Stanford University

Robert N. Butler, M.D.
President and CEO
International Longevity Center
Founding Director
National Institute on Aging

George K. Anderson, M.D., MPH
Fellow and Past President
American College of
Preventive Medicine