Healthcare IT News - October 2008 - (Page 48)

www.HealthcareITNews.com payERS October 2008 ■ Healthcare IT News 47 Collaborative launches online toolkit for health plans Effort aims to address disparities in patient care. BErNIE moNEgaIN, Editor WASHINGTON – The National Health Plan Collaborative has released an online toolkit of resources, lessons, case studies and videos to help health plans identify and reduce disparities within their memberships. T he collaborative brings together 11 major health insurance plans, in partnership with organizations from the public and private sectors, to identify ways to improve the quality of healthcare for racially and ethnically diverse populations. The toolkit will enable healthcare decisionmakers to learn from the collaborative’s work, implement simi- lar strategies, and make the case for addressing the differences in healthcare and health outcomes for the country’s health plan members. Featured toolkit resources include: ■ Health plan case studies; ■ Sample tools, forms and policies related to implementation; ■ Videos of experts talking about the importance of reducing dis- parities and about firsthand experiences in developing and implementing interventions; and ■ A compilation of resources in this field. The online toolkit allows users to download charts, tables, forms and resources to use in their health plans. The toolkit is hosted on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Web site. The National Health Plan Collaborative is an effort to improve the quality of healthcare for racially and ethnically diverse patient populations. It includes Aetna, Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan, CIGNA, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, HealthPartners, Highmark Inc., Humana, Kaiser Permanente, Molina Healthcare, UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint, Inc. ■ More at HealthcareITNews.com e Connect: collaborative 1008 ● STark Continued from page 45 America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) supports incentives for greater adoption of electronic health records and the integration of health IT, said spokesman Robert Zirkelbach. However, he said, “We don’t have a strong position on the structure of the incentives.” “WellPoint strongly supports the adoption and implementation of HIT tools, such as EMRs, to facilitate the best clinical decision making possible for our members and we appreciate working with Congress on this effort,” said Charles Charles Kennedy, Kennedy, MD MD, vice president of Health Information Technology for WellPoint. While Kennedy did not address the disincentives, he said, “Financial incentives should encourage providers to adopt and use interoperable HIT tools that optimize the efficient provision of high quality healthcare.” “Financial incentives should encourage providers to adopt and use interoperable hIT tools ” – Charles Kennedy, MD “There are several bills out there, and Aetna has been very vocal in our efforts as a company to encourage adoption of a health IT bill that encourages all stakeholders to move to an interoperable system,” said Mohit Ghose, vice president of Public Affairs. Ghose said that while details on many of the healthcare IT bills still need to be addressed, “we hope what emerges is a truly workable solution that helps to streamline the system and improve healthcare delivery and quality in the long run.” With Senate gridlock and the limited time left in the current Congressional session, the fate of Stark’s bill, and any other healthcare IT bill, will be taken up in the next session. ■ More at HealthcareITNews.com e Connect: Stark 1008 ● e ● Connect: elSevier 1008 http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=10108 http://www.orionhealth.com http://www.orionhealth.com http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=10104 http://www.healthcareitnews.com/eConnect.cms?id=10144

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Healthcare IT News - October 2008 Contents Seattle's Slate Board 2.0 MGMA Newsmaker IT Battles Infection Beyond Adoption Excellence in Maine Carrot and Stick HP Layoffs Mobile Workstations Automating Offices

Healthcare IT News - October 2008

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