SCRANTON — U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan welcomed Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator, to Scranton on Friday for a health care roundtable with local stakeholders and officials.
Prior to the roundtable, Bresnahan and Oz visited The Wright Center in Scranton to tour the facility and meet with staff and leadership.
“Today’s discussion with Administrator Oz and our local health care community was extremely productive,” said Bresnahan, R-Dallas Township. “It was a fantastic opportunity to sit down with local leaders to discuss how we can best implement the Rural Health Transformation Fund and the importance of high-quality healthcare. I want to thank Administrator Oz for coming to Scranton to hear firsthand from our community. We’re committed to delivering real, practical solutions that improve access to care, lower costs, and ensure every community gets the support it needs.”
CMS administrator Oz said the decisions CMS makes in Washington and Baltimore affect Americans in every one of the country’s nearly 20,000 cities and towns — urban, rural, and everything in between.
“That’s why it’s so important for us to get out of the Beltway and hear directly from people in those communities,” Oz said. “I’m grateful to Congressman Bresnahan for bringing together local Northeastern Pennsylvania experts and stakeholders to work toward real, bipartisan solutions that can lower costs, increase access, and improve quality of care.”
During the roundtable, Bresnahan and Oz spoke with participants about Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) reform, medical modernization, insurance coverage, value-based care, and the Rural Health Transformation Fund.
Following the roundtable, Bresnahan and Oz spoke with members of the press, along with Jim Pettinato, CEO of Wayne Memorial Hospital, Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, CEO of The Wright Center, Matt Osterberg and Ron Schmalzle, Pike County Commissioners, and Bob Durkin, President of Scranton Chamber of Commerce.
“We are sincerely grateful to Dr. Oz, Congressman Bresnahan, and their staffs for visiting The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education and for recognizing the essential role community health centers, community-based primary care, and physician and health care workforce development play in the health and vitality of our region and our nation,” said Dr. Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Center. “As a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike and nationally recognized Patient-Centered Medical Home, The Wright Center ensures accessible, whole-person-focused, team-based, and cost-effective care for about 38,300 individuals each year across Northeast Pennsylvania.”