Because the agendas for action are identified and developed by the Forum members, the resulting discussions are policy relevant, and often of interest to the press.  Forums can also inform the work of the National Academies and often provide input to ongoing committees and consensus studies.  They can also suggest topics for new studies at the National Academies. Forums are useful to members to test and develop new ideas where the input of a group of high-level stakeholders who are expert in a particular topic is desired. They are often the first point of dissemination of new recommendations emerging from the National Academies, and may create a locus for coordinated implementation and action based on the report.