After Mike Leavitt left to become secretary of Health and Human Services, he formed Leavitt Partners to be a gathering place for expertise on perplexing policy issues, including health care. The article "Government experience in hand, Mike Leavitt is open for business" ( Tribune , March 2) looks suspiciously on Leavitt's new gig -- but why? He might actually have some of what we need to break through the health care reform stalemate.

I've been a vocal and relentless critic of Leavitt, but his approach to cost- and value-driven health care is something we sorely need. So instead of piling on Leavitt, what if we really tried to build on that common ground to get the reform process rolling in a bipartisan and evidence-based direction? Let's start realigning incentives to reward high-quality and low-cost health care, rather than volume. Leavitt knew this early on, and his legacy can be felt in Utah's Partnership for Value-Driven Health Care, one chartered value exchange formed under Leavitt's HHS leadership.

Leavitt and the chartered value exchanges are a bright spot in a dimming landscape of opportunity to create a more accountable and value-driven health care system.

Judi Hilman Director, Utah Health Policy Project

Salt Lake City