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M.Michelle Hood, FACHE
EMHS, President and CEO
Bangor Beacon Community
Statewide Advisory Committee
Chair
Erik Steele, DO
EMHS, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
Bangor Beacon Community Principal Investigator
Leadership
Catherine Bruno, FACHE
Bangor Beacon Community Executive Sponsor
EMHS, Chief Information Officer Lead
Dale Hamilton Executive Director, Community Health and Counseling Services Alternate
Clincial Transformation
Jim Raczek, MD
EMMC, Chief Medical Officer Lead
Robert Allen, MD
Penobscot Community Health Center, Executive Medical Director
Alternate Evaluation Barbara Sorondo, MD EMMC, Director Clinical Research Center Lead
Frank Bragg, MD
EMMC, Family Practice Provider
Alternate Meaningful Use Dev Culver HealthInfoNet, Executive Director Lead
Bob Kohl
Maine Primary Care Association HIT Project Director
Alternate
Sustainability
Mike Donahue, MBA
EMMC, Vice President, Physician Practices
Lead
Donald Krause, MD
St. Joseph Healthcare
Internal Medicine
Alternate
Bangor Beacon Staff
Mac Hilton Program Director Debra Carpenter-Zeman Project Manager
Melanie Pearson
Project Manager
Lanie Abbott
Senior Communications and Outreach Specialist
Andrea Littlefield
Senior Communications and Outreach Specialist
Beth Johnson
Project Coordinator
Samantha Haynes
Administrative Assistant
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Stay up to date with the Bangor Beacon Community! |
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The Bangor Beacon Community Delivers a Convincing Message at the 2011 mHealth Summit held in Washington DC in December
The Summit concluded its yearly event with a record attendance of 3,621 people from 50 countries, many of whom spoke about new technologies and research-based solutions that may pave the way to extending healthcare and lowering costs by educating patients, helping many manage their chronic disease and adherence to treatment programs, while improving overall health outcomes.
"We worked diligently this year to develop an inclusive program that allowed the many voices of the mHealth ecosystem to be present and heard," said Richard Scarfo, director of the mHealth Summit. "It was important for us to create a unique platform that allowed the issues of both the developing and domestic worlds to be presented equally, as well as explore those new technologies and future issues that will shape the future of mobile health."
Because of the Bangor Beacon Community's use of health information technology and care management are improving patient care and quality of life, Barbara Sorondo, MD, director of EMMC's Clinical Research Center, presented our model along with data and anecdotal evidence that the we are making a difference and reducing the cost of healthcare.
To find out more
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HealthInfoNet Keeps Growing...
HealthInfoNet (HIN) staff has been busy preparing Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC) practices for connection to the statewide health information exchange. Amy Landry, communications manager, and Phil Profenno, onboarding manager, presented to more than 500 Penobscot Community Health Care staff members during five educational sessions held in early December. PCHC staff was excited to start using the system to help better coordinate care for their patients. PCHC clinicians began using the system December 15, making PCHC the third Beacon partner using the statewide exchange.
And more great news, HealthInfoNet was awarded a nearly $200,000 grant from the Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF) to link Maine's statewide health information exchange (HIE) with Maine's all-payer claims database. HealthInfoNet operates the HIE and the claims database is operated by the Maine Health Data Organization. This link helps Maine's medical community both improve healthcare quality and drive down cost. "Maine's annual healthcare spending per person is about 20 percent higher than the national average. So it is imperative that we find effective healthcare payment reform strategies to flatten or bring down our cost," shares Wendy J. Wolf, MD, MeHAF president and CEO. Linking the data in HIE to the claims database will allow providers and researchers to compare trends in healthcare treatment with corresponding cost data. "This kind of research will help providers and policy leaders more quickly identify and implement effective care improvement strategies that can contain costs," explains Dr. Wolf.
Follow Us!
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Greetings!
Happy New Year and welcome to our first eNewsletter of 2012. We just completed writing the 2011 Annual Report for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) which describes the Bangor Beacon Community's progress to date. It is definitely worth the read as I believe you will be impressed with the amount of work that has been done and the incredible path we are advancing. The report can be found on our website. http://www.bangorbeaconcommunity.org/reports/bbc2011.pdf
We look forward to another fast-paced year and many more successful milestones to celebrate and share with you.
Warm regards,
Lanie Abbott
Senior Communications and Outreach Specialist |
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The Family Plan to Better Health
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The Savoy's have always taken their health seriously, even before Diana's surprising heart attack two years ago at the age of 52. Yearly checkups and having a relationship with their providers at St. Joseph Internal Medicine have always been important to them. Within the last few years Diana and Rick both started having their blood sugar tests come back high and then increasing to unsafe numbers. "We have friends in advanced stages of diabetes, and they aren't doing well. We don't want that," shares Diana. Working together with their healthcare providers they came up with a plan and Jessica Audet, RN, care manager, gladly joined the team.
"It can be tricky working with couples and it doesn't always work well. These two, however, are a dynamite duo," smiles Jessica. Diana and Rick were high school sweethearts graduating from Old Town High School in 1975. They have been married for 34 years, so they know each other very well and how to motivate each other. "My wife is my backbone and since we both have diabetes we can really be there for each other and help each other. Jessica made us realize just because we are getting older doesn't mean we have to get unhealthy," smiles Rick.
Through humor and dedication the Savoy's have changed the way they live. "When you have to write down everything you eat and all the activity you do it really changes your perspective quickly," laughs Diana. The Savoy's had no idea how much the homemade treats, bread, pasta, potatoes, and candy affected their health. They no longer have those types of foods in their home. When they grocery shop they now have a cart full of vegetables, fruits, and other food that fits their diabetes diet. "Jessica is giving us the tools and education we need to get healthy and we are so thankful for that. We would be lost without her guidance."
Exercise is also a part of their lives. Diana walks in the mall first thing in the morning on her way to work. And you can catch them both out walking their dogs. Their determination to be healthy is paying off. They both have lost weight and the news gets even better. Because of their changes in lifestyle and diet their grown son has also lost 50 pounds and their granddaughter no longer gets sweets during her weekly visits but rather an apple or carrots. "We are doing this not just for us but for our family - we are all much healthier and happier now."
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EMHS Invited to Participate
in Pioneer ACO Model
EMHS is pleased to be one of the 32 organizations across the United States invited to become a Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). M. Michelle Hood, FACHE, president and CEO of EMHS, said the up to five year demonstration project is intended to improve the coordination, efficiency, effectiveness, quality, and cost of healthcare.
The Pioneer ACO Model is part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and is intended to improve the care delivered to Medicare patients. The model is expected to transform the healthcare delivery market as its design is adopted by other insurance companies, including commercial payers and state Medicaid programs. Currently within EMHS, that means approximately 9,000 people in the system are included
in the ACO. These people receive Medicare benefits and see primary care providers who are participating in the ACO - it is the provider who chooses to participate in the ACO. "Accountable care model demonstration projects will enable hospitals, physicians, and community based healthcare services to work together to make meaningful change to American healthcare. We know that more services and higher spending don't always result in better outcomes - in fact, often exactly the opposite results. With ACOs, the structure of care delivery shifts from how much a healthcare provider does to how well the patient does," Hood said.
To understand what an ACO is, it's important that people first understand what it is not, commented Erik Steele, DO, EMHS chief medical officer. "An ACO is not a health maintenance organization, or HMO, and it does not affect people's Medicare benefits. An ACO does not put the insurance companies in charge of patient care. Accountable care organizations do put the doctor in charge and it is the doctor's responsibility to make sure the patient receives the treatment needed to stay well and out of the hospital." Dr. Steele also emphasized that patients do not lose choices through ACOs, "In fact, some patients may receive more care in more appropriate settings."
The EMHS Pioneer ACO Model will initially focus on Medicare patients that see primary care providers at practices that are affiliated with the Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle, Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, and Inland Hospital in Waterville. All three hospitals are members of EMHS. This activity prepares us to incorporate work currently being done with St. Joseph Hospital and Penobscot Community Health Care to expand the collaboration with these and other community partners. Additional work is also occurring with employers in our area to offer this model of care to their employees.
EMHS is uniquely positioned to participate in the Pioneer ACO Model demonstration project, Hood said. "More than 60 percent of our current revenue comes from Medicare and MaineCare. Participation in the Pioneer ACO allows EMHS and its collaborators a strong voice in the architecture of what the future system of care delivery and reimbursement will look like. In addition, we have many of the necessary tools in place, such as leading edge clinical information technology, the Bangor Beacon Community care coordination model, and health plan incentives." Additionally, Hood pointed out that there are 33 measures of quality being carefully tracked through the Pioneer ACO Model. "Basically, accountable care comes down to taking on the responsibility of better coordination of care, building cooperation, and working in such a way that people can live as healthy a life as possible."
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Care Managers are Working Hard and It's Paying Off... We Have Proof! | |
Bangor Beacon care managers ended the year on a high note. During their December Forum they were treated to proof that what they're doing is working! "This is so exciting for me to share with you all - you're working so hard and it's making a difference," smiles Barbara Sorondo, MD, director of EMMC's Clinical Research Center. For nearly a year we have been sharing patient stories of improved quality of life and management of their disease and now we have the data to go along with it. "Technology allows us to break the data down by practice, provider, and care manager so you can really see how you and your patients are doing based on diagnosis."
Each care manager was given a printout detailing their patient's improvements. You could see glimmer in their eyes as they held proof in their hands that they were helping to bring about real change.
"The data breakdown is superb. It is exactly the type of feedback that brings great value for these care management teams. It absolutely validates their work and also helps them identify where more efforts are needed. It also helps us see what staffing needs look like as we go forward," shares Sandy Wardwell, WHNP, and director for clinical excellence at Penobscot Community Health Care.
"The team was very happy to see results of their work. One of the items we have not been able to see in the past is patient satisfaction, motivation, and confidence data so the group did liked hearing about this as they were new and definitely focused on the patient's perspective," says Lori Newcomb, RN, and care manager supervisor at EMMC's primary care practices.
"It is very validating that one on one care management is working well, patients are feeling supported, and their health is improving. I am also amazed to see how prevalent depression is with chronic disease, and how self-management is contingent upon management of their depression. I now care for my patients differently, addressing their stress levels, ways to promote stress relief in their day. Until they are feeling well mentally and in control, they will not be able to focus on their health issues. This has been a shift for me in my practice," shares Jessica Audet, RN, care manager at St. Joseph Internal Medicine.
EMMC's Clinical Research Center will provide data reports to care managers every quarter. |
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The 12 Bangor Beacon Community partners:
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