Bio: Tom Frusher, a 2011-12 U.K. Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice, was Policy and Communications Director at the NHS Cooperation and Competition Panel (CCP)--a government body charged with enforcing antitrust/competition rules in the English National Health Service (NHS). Previously, he was deputy head of health policy and economic research at the British Medical Association (BMA), and prior to that, senior policy analyst at the Joint Consultants Committee, an independent body representing the Medical Royal Colleges, General Medical Council, and BMA. His research interests are focused on models of integrated care, organizational change, and the role of competition in health care. He has authored 12 reports, including publications by the BMA and CCP, and analyses of the U.K.'s health reforms. Frusher holds an M.Sc. in philosophy of social science and B.Sc. in social sciences, both from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Placement: University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business
Mentors: Lawton Burns, Ph.D., M.B.A., Professor of Healthcare Management, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business
Project: Competition Policy and Health Reform: Implications for the United States and the United Kingdom
Description: Frusher's project explored the impact of competition policy on delivery system and payment reforms — in particular, the antitrust concerns regarding provider integration in accountable care organizations. He began with a review of the existing literature on the relationship between competition regulation and health care. He then undertook semi-structured interviews exploring perceptions of the relationship between delivery system/payment reform and the regulatory environment with policy experts, regulatory officials, and leaders of health care delivery organizations.