CDPHP® Announces Expansion of Medical Home Pilot
Second Phase has Potential to Encompass 100 Area Practitioners Serving Nearly 100K Members in Region
Albany, NY (Vocus) March 5, 2010
CDPHP® recently announced the second phase of its patient-centered medical home (PCMH) pilot, which was originally launched in May 2008. Developed to achieve improvements in the quality and efficiency of health care through transformation of the way primary care is practiced and reimbursed, the second phase of the pilot is expected to encompass 100 area practitioners serving nearly 100K members in the Capital Region.
Current pilot participants Community Care/Latham Medical Group, Community Care/Schodack, and CapitalCare/Clifton Park Family Practice have each undergone 18 months of practice transformation and have just concluded their first year of testing a new payment model. The second phase expansion will increase practice participation from these three practices to up to 24 practices.
“The CDPHP Board of Directors authorized the expansion of this pilot to include an additional 21 practices, beginning in September 2010,” reports John D. Bennett, MD, president and CEO, CDPHP. “The decision to make further investments based on preliminary data illustrates the sense of urgency felt by the board, if there is any true hope of achieving the initial objective of restoring primary care.”
The announcement was made to the medical community at the recent one-day technology conference, e-Forum 2010: Deciphering the Meaning of “Meaningful Use” and Enhancing the Value of Health Care Delivery. The event, jointly sponsored by CDPHP and the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY), hosted more than 100 area physicians and practice managers. The sessions educated physicians about what they need to know and do now in order to be eligible to tap into the $19 billion meaningful use incentives from the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, and how the medical home concept can improve the quality of patient care while enhancing primary care physicians’ income.
“Although it is early to draw definitive conclusions, the three initial pilot practices have demonstrated improvements in both quality of care delivered and the efficiency with which they have delivered it,” said Bruce Nash, MD, MBA, chief medical officer, CDPHP.
CDPHP PCMH Pilot: Phase Two
CDPHP plans to select 21 additional primary care practices (adult primary care, family practice, general practice, and internal medicine) by June 2, 2010 with the official launch scheduled for September 2010.
Selected practices will display strong leadership and a stable practice culture, and serve a significant number of CDPHP patients. The practice will need to demonstrate commitment in achieving NCQA Level III Medical home and enhancing access, as well as an overall willingness by practice leadership to participate and openly collaborate with CDPHP. In addition, due to the significance of technology in the medical home model, practices utilizing EMR and ePrescribing are preferred.
Phase 2 practices that receive PCMH level III certification and have been active participants in the 12-month CDPHP-sponsored transformation process will be financially rewarded under a new payment model commencing in fall of 2011. The move to the new payment model will be contingent on outcomes of the pilot evaluation.
About Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY)
The Medical Society of the State of New York, organized in 1807 celebrated its 200th anniversary. The purpose of the state society is to extend medical knowledge and advance the science and art of medicine, to enhance the delivery of medical care of high quality to all people in the most economical manner, to promote the betterment of community health, and to enlighten and direct public opinion in regard to the problems of medicine and health for the best interests of the people of the State of New York.
About CDPHP®
Founded in 1984 as a physician-founded and guided health plan, CDPHP and its affiliates currently serve members in 24 counties throughout New York with a full family of products (http://www. cdphp. com/members/health_plans. aspx). In U. S. News & World Report/NCQA America’s Best Health Insurance Plans 2009-10*, CDPHP garnered the three highest-rated commercial plan rankings in New York state, as well as being rated among the top ten health plans in the nation for its Medicare and Medicaid programs. Visit CDPHP (http://www. cdphp. com/).
###
