PCPs drive reduction in Cleveland hospitalizations

Mary Ellen Schneider

Internal Medicine News & Family Medicine News - March 8, 2013

Doctors in Cleveland are offering proof that a robust primary care system is the way to reduce health care costs.

Better Health Greater Cleveland – a group of 55 primary care practices across eight health systems – reduced hospitalizations for patients with diabetes, hypertension, angina, or heart failure by 10% between 2009 and 2011 by improving the quality of primary care in the region. Read more.

Internists should pursue innovative practice models

David L. Bronson, MD, FACP

ACP News - March 2013

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
The patient-centered medical home and the accountable care organization allow internists to do a better job caring for patients, and there is at least some early evidence that they may reduce the costs of care.

David Bronson, current president of the American College of Physicians, writes about Better Health Greater Cleveland.

Read more.

AMA details plan for cutting hospital readmissions

Kevin B. O'Reilly

American Medical News - February 18, 2013

Outpatient physician practices can play a key part in ensuring that patients have safe transitions in care and avoid preventable hospital readmissions, according to an American Medical Association report released in February.

Read article.

Cleveland Quality Initiative Saves $20.1M From Reduced Hospitalizations

Sabrina Rodak

Becker's Hospital Review - January 30, 2013

Better Health Greater Cleveland, part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Aligning Forces for Quality initiative, reduced the number of cardiovascular hospitalizations in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, by an estimated 2,854  patients from 2009 through 2011, generating savings of $20.1 million, according to Better Health's 10th Community Health Checkup.

Read more.

Ohio's Better Health reports 10 percent drop in cardiovascular hospitalizations

Chris Anderson, Senior Editor

Healthcare Finance News - January 30, 2013

CLEVELAND – Better Health, a regional health improvement collaborative in northeast Ohio reported that hosptializations for cardiovascular conditions addressed by its programs fell by 10.7 percent in 2011, building on declines in 2009 and 2010. According to Better Health this is first time a decline in avoidable hospitalizations has been reported as a result of a regional health collaborative’s efforts.

Read the article.

Primary care gains reduce hospitalizations, cut costs in Cleveland study

Kyle Cheney

Politico - January 30, 2013

Stepped-up access to primary care doctors staved off nearly 3,000 hospitalizations in northeast Ohio, according to a new analysis, which found the region saved 20.1 million from 2009 to 2011 by preventing unnecessary hospitalizations for common heart conditions.

Read article on Politico (subscription required).

Rolling Out the Red Carpet for ED "Super-Utilizers"? Taking a Patient-Centered Approach

Sabrina Rodak

Becker's Hospital Review - December 18, 2012

"Super-utilizers" -- people who go to the emergency department frequently and often unnecessarily -- are often looked down upon, as they constitute a small percent of overall ED patients but account for the majority of costs. Some healthcare providers and the population at large perceive these "super-utlilizers" as nuisances -- people who make the ED crowded and contribute to long wait times and high costs. However, some healthcare organizations are taking a more patient-centered approach.....

Click here to read more about Better Health Greater Cleveland's Red Carpet Care program, funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, that is underway at MetroHealth and two of its health plan partners, Medical Mutual of Ohio and Buckeye Health Plan. 

Publicly Reporting Quality Data to Identify "Bright Spots," Motivate Improvement

Sabrina Rodak

Becker's Hospital Review - October 25, 2012

In 2007, a group of healthcare providers and payors established Better Health Greater Cleveland, a quality improvement organization under Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Aligning Forces for Quality initiative. The organization started in the outpatient setting with physician practices, but has recently expanded to include hospitals.

Read the article, featuring Better Health's use of EHR data to identify "Bright Spots" in health care quality.

Regional Healthcare Improvement Collaboratives Needed Now More Than Ever: Program Directors' Perspectives

Randall D. Cebul, MD; Susanne E. Dade, MPA; Lisa M. Letourneau, MD, MPH; and Alan Glaseroff, MD, ABF

The American Journal of Managed Care - September 2012

"If a national vision of value-driven, patient-centered care is to become a reality—one that results in better care, better health of populations, and lower costs—Regional Healthcare Improvement Collaboratives, such as those embodied by the RWJF’s AF4Q initiative, are a necessary part of the solution. Each collaborative represents a neutral common table for all stakeholders to discuss their unique concerns while recognizing their shared interests."

Read the article.

Local Solutions Spark Readmission Reductions

Larry Beresford

The Hospitalist - August 29, 2012