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Friends,
We had a strong and busy start to 2015: successful paired events featuring Ohio Office of Health Transformation Director Greg Moody, promising results on our region's progress in narrowing some important disparities gaps, new staff members and contributions to a federal grant proposal to create a statewide Practice Transformation Network.
Stay tuned for more, and thanks for reading.
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 Greg Moody Part II: We get what we pay for - Ohio's plan to transform payments to improve health
The more than 230 people who filled the venerable City Club of Cleveland at its noon Forum on January 27 got a sneak preview of some health-related issues that will be in the state budget to be released Monday. Greg Moody, Director of the Ohio Office of Health Transformation, said Gov. John Kasich's budget reflects plans that include rebuilding the capacity of the behavioral health system and investing in primary health care. The bulk of Moody's talk to this health-care heavy audience focused on Ohio's reforms in health care payment, which are underway. The state's plan to address "upside down" financial incentives is laid out in its "State Innovation Model" plan, which recently was funded with a $75 million federal grant. "What we really need to do is reset the rules of health care competition so the incentive is to keep the healthy healthy, pay for what works to improve and maintain health, and convert volume driven fee-for-service payments into value-based payments that reward better health outcomes," he said. How do we get to value? Mr. Moody gave a snowflake to Greater Cleveland and to Better Health. "This community is one of the leaders, and I believe you'll get to value ahead of others," he said. "Better Health Greater Cleveland, for example, has been working for years to improve access to high-quality primary care." Did you miss the event? Watch on YouTube here. Listen to a Podcast here.
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Greg Moody Part I:
Transforming Payment for a Healthier Ohio
Health care transformation also was the topic at our winter Community Health Checkup - No. 14, in case you're counting - which preceded the City Club Forum. As usual, Better Health President Randy Cebul, MD, and Data Center Director Tom Love, PhD, provided updates on initiatives and quality results - which included some remarkable progress on closing disparities on care that's critical for preventing serious diabetes complications. Read 2013-14 Checkup Executive Summary. See 2013-14 Quality Metrics here. View Better Health's Presentation.
Mr. Moody was our featured keynote. His presentation was different - at least from the talk he gave at the Forum. The hands of nearly all 125 people in the audience shot up when Mr. Moody asked how many had heard his talk on the state's transformation plan. He quipped that he'd go straight to questions, then gave a quick review followed by spirited questions and applause from our Better Health partners, whose efforts provide the foundation for successful change.
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And the winners are...
Better Health recognized 40 practices with "Gold Star" certificates for their outstanding achievement and/or improvement in meeting national quality standards in their care for patients with diabetes, heart failure and high blood pressure in 2013-14. Congratulations! See the winners.
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FEDS TARGET PAYMENT REFORM, TOO, IN MEDICARE
On January 26, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell unveiled the department's plan to have shifted 50% of its $362 billion health care payments for traditional Medicare by 2018 to providers in new payment models that drive better results at lower costs. Like Ohio's plan, the federal government wants to leverage its buying power to accelerate shifts to value-based purchasing for private insurers and state Medicaid plans.
Read more.
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BETTER HEALTH WELCOMES NEW STAFF
 Wanda Ali-Matlock, RN, recently became our lead Practice Coach, and brings experience in the "medical neighborhood," teaching, operations, Joint Commission accreditation, quality improvement, care coordination and ambulatory care. Wanda also knows many of Better Health's partners, having previously worked with many.
 David Bruckman joins Better Health as Data Center Manager following 10 years as chief systems analyst and biostatistician for the Cleveland Department of Public Health. David also has served since 2004 as adjunct faculty and consulting biostatistician to the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at CWRU School of Medicine and on its Prevention Research Center's core faculty.
Carolyn Palad is a senior accountant with 10 years of experience who splits her time between The MetroHealth System and Better Health. Since she came aboard last spring, Carolyn has made major improvements and led a seamless transition to bring our finance and accounting operations in-house.
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OHIO HEALTH INFORMATION PARTNERSHIP SUBMITS PROPOSAL TO LEAD STATEWIDE PRACTICE TRANSFORMATION NETWORK
Better Health's footprint for practice transformation will grow more if a statewide grant proposal to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation is funded. In the proposal led by the Ohio Health Information Partnership to be submitted next week, Better Health will play a major role in a statewide "Practice Transformation Network" to help primary care and consulting specialty clinicians to improve outcomes and reduce waste and avoidable hospitalizations - and to be prepared to participate in value-based purchasing programs.
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ARE YOU A MEMBER YET? Our vision is to make northeast Ohio a healthier place to live and a better place to do business.
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