New York Launches State Health Care Innovation Plan
State Health Department to Use $1 Million Federal Grant in Collaborative Effort to Transform Health Care Delivery Systems, Improve Quality of Care
ALBANY, N.Y. (April 19, 2013) – State Health Commissioner Nirav R. Shah, M.D., M.P.H. today announced New York State will develop a State Health Care Innovation Plan, a new, federally funded public initiative to transform the state's health care delivery system, increase efficiency, and improve the quality of care for New Yorkers.
In February, New York was awarded a $1 million Pre-Testing Award from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) State Innovations Model (SIM) initiative to develop a State Healthcare Innovation Plan for improved health care through new payment and service delivery initiatives. The grant specifically promotes strategies to reduce costs and enhance the quality of care for New Yorkers enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
"As our health care system continues to evolve, it is critical that we continue to develop and implement innovative, cost-effective solutions to assure New Yorkers have access to high-quality care," Commissioner Shah said. "Through comprehensive Medicaid redesign efforts, New York has made great progress in improving quality, expanding access, and reducing health care costs. This award will build on this success by supporting the development a comprehensive plan to utilize health information technology to improve data access and care management tools."
To kick off the development of the State Healthcare Innovation Plan, the State Department of Health (DOH) will host an informational webinar for health care providers, insurers, community groups and other stakeholders from across the state on Thursday, April 25, 2013, from 10 to 11am. Rachel Block, deputy commissioner of DOH's Office of Health Information Technology Transformation, will provide an overview of the award and the next steps related to the development of the SIM Plan. Michael Bailit, president, Bailit Health Purchasing, will discuss the range of payment reform models that states may consider pursuing as they work to improve delivery systems. To register for the April 25 webinar, please visit: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/462070878. DOH will sponsor a series of meetings and information sessions as the SIM Plan process continues and will provide information about how stakeholders may participate.
Key components of the New York's Health Care Innovation Plan will include: enhanced payment models for patient centered medical homes; primary care and behavioral health integration; and management of care transitions. Each of these models has a strong evidence base and broad stakeholder support.
Additionally, this CMMI funding will support New York's initiatives to:
- Promote regional quality improvement collaborative;
- Advance the use of electronic health records;
- Expand providers access to data and develop data-driven care management tools; and
- Create monitoring systems to collect and assess health, quality and cost indicators related to components of the state's comprehensive plan.
Initial work on the State Health Care Innovation Plan includes quantifying the current health care system in the New York, including population demographics, health status, descriptions of major payers, and quality performance indicators. Analyses related to the implementation of new payment and service delivery models will also be conducted.
