MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 5, 2014 - Today marks the launch of a new Harvard Business Review (HBR) Insight Center, exclusively sponsored by Medtronic, which provides a forum for thought-leading commentary, editorial content and dialogue focused on innovating for value in healthcare.  The Insight Center is a collaboration between HBR and the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and provides an online forum for leaders, managers and others in healthcare.  

The Insight Center will feature articles from leading policy, medical, clinical and academic experts. The online forum is devoted to helping those in the healthcare industry understand the importance of clinical and economic value of healthcare solutions to improve patient outcomes and address cost.

"Health care costs in the U.S represent nearly 18% of our GDP and this is not sustainable.  There is a great need to understand how to balance innovation while managing costs," said Adi Ignatius, editor in chief of Harvard Business Review.

"We believe the shift to value-based healthcare is one of the most fundamental changes in Medtronic and one of the most pivotal moves we are making as a leader in healthcare," said Omar Ishrak, Medtronic president and CEO. "We also know it's not a move we can make alone. We must work with physicians, hospital administrators, payers and patients to achieve better outcomes. We look forward to the perspectives that will be shared in the online forum from HBR and NEJM, and we are proud to support it."

Medtronic will share perspectives on aligning value in healthcare through posts on Medtronic.com/collaborate. The first post examines the business shifts Medtronic has made to help make care delivery more efficient, minimize system waste and give more patients access to therapies.

Today at 12:00 P.M. EST, the Insight Center will host a free webinar, "How Not to Cut Health Care Costs," led by Robert Kaplan and Derek Haas with Harvard Business School. The webinar will explore why some efforts to reduce healthcare costs are counterproductive, actually leading to higher costs and sometimes lower-quality care.

"Never before have the interests of both the health care and business communities been better aligned to drive higher value in health care," said Gregory Curfman, M.D., executive editor, NEJM.

To visit the Harvard Business Review-New England Journal of Medicine Insight Center, go to http://www.hbr.org/insight-center/innovating-for-value-in-health-care.

About Medtronic
Medtronic, Inc. (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Minneapolis, is the global leader in medical technology - alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life for millions of people around the world.

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Marie Yarroll
Public Relations
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Jeff Warren
Investor Relations
+1-763-505-2696