Healthcare IT News - September 2007 - (Page 40)

40 Healthcare IT News ■ September 2007 payERS www.HealthcareITNews.com formance program linked to the iniA quality pilot involv- tiative. ing a collaborative of 44 pediatric A percentage of the network’s practices has demonstrated improved asthma population had its severity care for nearly 14,000 children with classified, a self-management plan asthma. put into place and preventive medicaThe practices comprising Ohio tion prescribed, if appropriate. From Valley Primary Care Associates, an October 2003 through August 2007, IPA affiliated with the physician- a composite measure of that percenthospital organization at Cincinnati age of the population increased from Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 4 percent to 90 percent, according to NT2794-1 BeachAd HealthITNews Sept07Keith Mandel, MD, vice president of 8/7/07 3:48 PM Page 1 also benefited from the pay-for-perBy PaTTy ENrado, Contributing Editor CINCINNATI – Cincinnati pilot delivers improved asthma care medical affairs for the physician-hospital organization. In addition, the percentage of the asthma population receiving the Keith Mandel influenza vaccine increased from 22 percent at baseline to 54 percent for the 2006-2007 flu season. The results of the quality initiative were published in the July 2007 issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. “By aligning design characteristics of the P4P program with a collaborative focused on improving processes and outcomes of care for a condition-specific population, building improvement capability and driving system changes at the provider level, we have established a framework for achieving more substantive and sustainable improvement,” Mandel said. The PHO developed the P4P component into three tiers – pay for participation, pay for network performance and pay for practice performance – with 11 of the 44 practices earning the maximum 7 percent fee schedule increase. “The third tier included eligibility criteria linked to improvement capability and sustainability within practices, specifically, developing an asthma registry and incorporating concurrent data collection into workflow with a high level of reliability,” Mandel said. The pilot was a success in improving patient care and in rewarding participating physicians, said Barry Malinowski, MD, medical director for B. Malinowsky Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Ohio, which sponsored the P4P. Anthem has since included asthma measures in its community-wide pediatric P4P program. At the end of 2006, 28 percent of the 3,000 participating physicians in Southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky received the full 12 percent increase, he said. Mandel said he hopes payers and employers recognize the value that the PHO and the IPA is delivering “in terms of improving effectiveness and efficiency of care delivery to children in the region.” Janice Young, program director for Health Industry Insights, an IDC company, said, “This scenario shows the importance of agreement and adherence to guidelines, which is one of the most difficult aspects of P4P programs, whether they are sponsored by payers, providers, employers or others.” ■ More at HealthcareITNews.com e Connect: CINCY 0907 ● lEssoNs Continued from page 37 Intechra is the world leader in IT asset recycling. We focus on eliminating the risks surrounding sensitive patient data, HIPAA compliance, and private employee information, as well as the environmental impact associated with IT asset disposition. In working with healthcare organizations, we maximize value recovery on your IT asset investment. Visit us at www.intechra.com/healthcareIT for more information or to schedule a meeting. © 2007 Intechra Inc. All rights reserved. the expert said. Part of due diligence is seeking out vendors who have experience designing, implementing and maintaining an MMIS. High and low bids should both be red flags, he said. Janice Young, program director for Health Industry Insights, an IDC company, said that while the Medicaid population is a difficult population to track and reporting and business requirements are complex, these challenges provide an opportunity for vendors to create agile, flexible technology and “bring Medicaid systems into the 21st century.” The modernization is long overdue, said Young. Once the systems are in place, “they can begin to solve some real problems.” ■ More at HealthcareITNews.com e Connect: leSSoNS 0907 ● e ● Connect: INteCHra 0907 http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=7691 http://www.intechra.com/healthcareIT http://www.intechra.com/healthcareIT http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=7687 http://www.healthcareitnews.com/eConnect.cms?id=7731

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Healthcare IT News - September 2007

Contents Alaska Sweep SiCKO Debate Data Exchange Rx EDITH knows Hold That Script IT in the Sun Breathing Easy IT on the Menu Ambulatory EMRs Identity Crisis

Healthcare IT News - September 2007

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