Press
Release
LOCAL
TOP-PERFORMING PHYSICIANS RECOGNIZED BY EMPLOYERS; CAPITAL
DISTRICT PHYSICIANS HEALTH PLAN, Inc. (CDPHP) TO JOIN AS
A LICENSEE FOR 2006
-Bridges to Excellence pay-for-performance program continues
to grow in Albany area
ALBANY
- Capital District physicians participating in a
pay-for-performance (P4P) effort are being recognized and
rewarded for delivering higher quality care. Bridges to
Excellence (BTE) was created to encourage higher quality
care through incentives and is made up of physicians, health
plans and several of the area's largest employers, including
General Electric, Verizon, Price Chopper and Hannaford Brothers.
BTE is based
upon physician recognition programs designed by the National
Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and its partners,
the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American
Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The pay-for-performance
programs operated by Bridges to Excellence are Diabetes
Care Link, Cardiac Care Link and Physician Office Link.
Both Diabetes and Cardiac Care Link focus on meeting approved
high standards for treating chronic conditions, while Physician
Office Link provides incentives for improving patient information
processing and data management. To date, BTE has paid over
$470,000 to Capital District physicians and over $2 million
nationally. This first total covers 121 locally recognized
physicians in more than 25 practices, including Prime Care
Physicians, Community Care Physicians and CapitalCare Medical
Group.
Dr. Thomas Auer,
CEO and Medical Director of Community Care Physicians, a
multi-specialty medical group with 191 clinicians practicing
across 4 counties in the Capital Region, says, "Participating
in the Bridges to Excellence collaborative and working with
NCQA to achieve Physician Office Link recognition has allowed
us to emphasize the importance of mapping systems and improving
efficiency as a way of improving care and patient outcomes."
He adds, "Eight of our offices have received POL recognition
and 4 more are currently in the review process. NCQA has
done a great job of setting standards that reflect true
quality care and it is a great source of pride to our practitioners
knowing that we are 'measuring up' to that standard."
"Implementing
electronic medical record and prescription management systems
to improve quality and efficiency (Physician Office Link)
is the right thing to do," said John A. Lutz, CEO of
Prime Care Physicians, a practice of 85 physicians. "We're
looking forward to continuing to demonstrate to our patients
that we deliver top-notch care in diabetes and cardiac areas
as well."
CapitalCare Medical
Group, a multi-specialty primary care group, has five practice
sites that have received PPC recognition thus far. "Our
other offices are using many of these systematic procedures,
even in advance of their formal application for participation
in Bridges," said Dr. Louis Snitkoff, medical director
of CapitalCare, "And we are pleased to be among those
who are leading the movement to enhance the quality of health
care delivered in upstate New York."
BTE is rapidly
expanding beyond the four current market areas (including
Cincinnati, Louisville and Boston) with the program expected
to launch in Minnesota and Georgia in early 2006. BTE creates
an incentive to improve quality by giving physician's financial
rewards, recognition and support tools they need to improve
medical care and outcomes. Currently, there are over 100
different pay-for-performance programs operating nationwide
with BTE as the largest employer-sponsored effort to reward
physicians for delivering high-quality care.
New York State
Health Commissioner Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H.,
said, "Pay-for-performance programs like Bridges to
Excellence are becoming increasingly important in our efforts
to improve health care quality in New York. We are actively
encouraging these types of initiatives and will be sponsoring
five regional pay-for-performance demonstrations over the
next two years that will bring together government, business,
insurers, providers and consumers in a collaborative effort
to further improve New York's world-class health care system."
CDPHP is the
first health plan to license BTE in the region, and is actively
involved in promoting the program through a multi-pronged
approach to its employer groups and network physicians.
Starting in 2006, CDPHP looks forward to further developing
the program for its clients in order to continue its mission
of delivering high quality care. "As an innovator and
market leader in improving our health care delivery system,
CDPHP is proud to participate in the Bridges to Excellence
program," said William J. Cromie, MD, MBA, president
and CEO, CDPHP. "As the first local licensee, it is
our hope that other area health plans will also follow and
adopt the program."
MVP Health Care
has also been an active promoter of the BTE program. In
2006, MVP will provide direct financial awards to those
primary care practices recognized by NCQA for Physician
Practice Connections. "Supporting quality improvement
at the physician practice level and rewarding top performance
through programs such as BTE represent the future of managed
care," said Dr. Jerry Salkowe, VP Clinical Quality
Improvement. "MVP has partnered with the Mohawk Valley
Medical Associates IPA to make these new rewards possible."
In addition to
bonus payments, recognized physicians in BTE programs are
highlighted in physician directories and on a Physician
Quality Ratings site promoted by employer participants,
thus helping patients identify doctors best able to treat
their particular conditions. To encourage patients to take
a more active role in managing chronic illnesses, some employees
of these participating companies have access to an on-line
customized care management tool developed by WebMD Health
called Diabetes CareRewards. This innovative tool will allow
individuals to record self-care activities, learn more about
their illness, and earn reward points toward a range of
small financial and non-financial incentives.
###
The
Bridges to Excellence coalition is a not-for-profit organization
created to encourage significant leaps in the quality of
care by recognizing and rewarding health care providers
who demonstrate that they deliver safe, timely, effective,
efficient and patient-centered care. In addition to National
Business Coalition on Health (NBCH), Bridges to Excellence
participants include large employers, health plans, the
National Committee or Quality Assurance, MEDSTAT and WebMD
Health, among others. The organizations are united in their
shared goal of improving health care quality through measurement,
reporting, rewards and education.
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