WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced that it is soliciting proposals for the Medicare Health Care Quality Demonstration, and the eHealth Initiative applauds the new effort. The Demonstration will test models of healthcare delivery system redesign, coupled with alternative payment models. It is expected that a significant component of redesign will involve the use of health information technology.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050630/DCTH083LOGO )
“We’re delighted with the leadership of CMS and their recognition of the link between health information technology and healthcare quality and safety,” said Janet Marchibroda, CEO of the eHealth Initiative and its Foundation. “Our 2005 survey of community and regional health information exchange efforts shows that about one third of advanced stage initiatives are moving beyond functions that directly support care delivery, focusing now on chronic care management as well as quality and performance improvement efforts. CMS’s Health Care Quality Demonstration is designed to align financial incentives with these goals.”
CMS’s demonstration seeks to improve quality while increasing efficiency through major, regional-level health care system redesign, and calls for project participants to use health information technology as a facilitating tool.
“Our recently released survey of health information exchange efforts shows that over 100 communities across America are engaging multiple stakeholders to mobilize health information across their markets, yet one of the most difficult challenges for these efforts is that of sustainability,” Marchibroda said. “Payment incentives that reward quality and efficiency and system redesign efforts that enable health information exchange across settings will support sustainable business models for local and regional efforts.”
In its announcement today, CMS said that by modifying payment systems and providing incentives for better quality and lower costs, health care organizations and their communities will have new financial support to adopt and use decision support tools (e.g., evidence-based guidelines, shared decision-making tools), reduce unwarranted variation in practice, measure outcomes and enhance cultural competence in the delivery of care.
“This will enable on-the-ground health information exchange initiatives to move towards a sustainable business model,” Marchibroda said. “The government is a major purchaser of health care services, and in that role CMS is cutting a path to support the emerging set of private sector purchasers and payers who are also experimenting with the alignment of incentives with both quality goals and the health information exchange capabilities that make their achievement possible.”
The eHealth Initiative and its Foundation are independent, non-profit affiliated organizations which bring together multiple, diverse stakeholders to achieve their shared mission, which is to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare through information and information technology.
CMS Demo project: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/researchers/demos/mma646/. For a copy of the eHealth Initiative’s recent report, “Emerging Trends and Issues in Health Information Exchange,” go to http://www.ehealthinitiative.org.
CONTACT: Karla Hurter of eHealth Initiative, +1-703-319-0957, or khurter@health2resources.com.
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050630/DCTH083LOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.orgPRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.comeHealth Initiative
CONTACT: Karla Hurter of eHealth Initiative, +1-703-319-0957, orkhurter@health2resources.com
