PHC4 Looks to Celebrate 40 Years of Service to the Commonwealth
PHC4 celebrates 40 years of producing transparent, fact-based health care reporting this year and seeks to define the value of its service publicly on April 16, 2026, by welcoming stakeholders to Harrisburg’s Keystone Building.
The event, PHC4’s 40 Years of Value – Transparency in Health Care, aims to support stakeholders’ understanding of current reporting, reflect upon the accomplishments of its past, and illustrate the vision for future efforts. Barry D. Buckingham, PHC4’s Executive Director, is eager to share the historical value and future vision of the organization, stating, “The value of PHC4 is apparent and I hope to raise awareness throughout the Commonwealth as the resource it is.”
The planned Keynote address, No Place to Hide: How PHC4 Made Health Care Data Everyone’s Business, features Dr. David Nash, Founding Dean Emeritus at Jefferson College of Population Health, and promises to be a thought-provoking look at the mission and work of the organization from inception until today. Nash, MD, MBA, is most qualified to speak to PHC4’s long-term impact, not only as an internationally recognized expert for his work in public accountability for outcomes, physician leadership development, and quality-of-care improvement, but also as the first, and only, Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Chair at PHC4. TAG brings together professionals to address issues of research methodology, statistical expertise, and risk-adjustment methods to ensure quality and factual reporting. Dr. Nash stated, “It has been an honor to contribute to the methodological advancements and support PHC4’s reporting through the last 40 years. The goal has always been to ensure PHC4 reports stay on the cutting edge of health care information, while contributing vital data to further the understanding of population health.”
PHC4 is an independent council formed under Pennsylvania statute (Act 89 of 1986, as amended by Act 15 of 2020) in order to address rapidly growing health care costs. PHC4 continues to produce comparative information about the most efficient and effective health care to individual consumers and group purchasers of health services. In addition, PHC4 produces information used to identify opportunities to contain costs and improve the quality of care delivered.