The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in the United States and the Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) of Japan, launched a joint project to create a dialogue on major health care policy issues and solutions in the two nations in early 2011.

The goal of the project is to generate fresh analyses and recommendations in critical areas of health care in Japan and the United States. It provides an opportunity for informed discussion of pragmatic next steps to address priority health care concerns. It aims to generate pragmatic and actionable options in each key policy areas that can increase the efficiency and quality of health care.

This project’s initial efforts focused on options for health care policies that addressed the development of healthcare information systems and the design of hospital payment reforms and CSIS and HGPI released 2 policy recommendations on these themes; “Addressing Japan’s Healthcare Challenges with Information Technology: Recommendations from the U.S. Experience” authored by John Halamka, MD, MS. and “How Can Japan’s DPC Inpatient Payment System be Strengthened? Lessons from the US Medicare Prospective System” authored by Gerard Anderson, PhD and Naoki Ikegami, MD, MA in August 2011, and “Information Technology in Healthcare: eHealth for Japanese Health Services” authored by Masanori Akiyama, MD and Ryozo Nagai, MD in March 2012.

After the Japan-US Health Policy Dialogue was initiated by CSIS and HGPI in January of 2011, the Tohoku earthquake-tsunami-and radiation disaster occurred on March 11. It has now been agreed by CSIS and HGPI that the next phase of the Japan-U.S. Health Policy Dialogue will shift the project’s focus to collaborative US-Japan efforts to the respond to the health implications of the disaster.