Employers realize that it makes fiscal sense to help improve the health of employees who are the heaviest users of medical services: Almost every major company provides some sort of chronic care program,The New York Times reports. Boeing recently completed a successful medical home pilot and reported a 20 percent reduction in health care costs per member enrolled. But for the programs to work, employees must buy into them; many do not. (The New York Times)

The U.S. comes in at the bottom of the Commonwealth Fund’s ranking of seven industrialized nations’ health care systems. Will the health care reform legislation change that? asks Katherine Hobson in the Wall Street Journal Health Blog. It’s a possibility, says Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis. Davis is particularly excited about provisions that encourage patient centered medical homes, accountable care organizations and bundled payments, all advocated by the Commonwealth Fund. (Wall Street Journal Health Blog)

 

Horizon Healthcare Innovations--a new company launched by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey--will pay doctors for the quality, not quantity, of care. At the heart of the program is the medical home model. HHI will roll out pilots with family practitioners and others this year, The Record reports. After five years, the program will reach most of BCBSNJ’s 3.8 million members. Compensation will be based on how well providers manage patients with chronic illnesses and help others get appropriate screenings and preventive care. (The Record)

 

PCMH initiative saves Illinois Medicaid millions 

By emphasizing patient-centered primary care and chronic disease management, Illinois’ Medicaid program saved $500 million in fiscal years 2008 and 2009, according to Illinois Health Connect, which runs the Medicaid medical home program. IHC adopted a patient centered medical home model for 1.8 million of Illinois’ 2.6 million Medicaid recipients, AAFP News Now reports. Another program, Your Healthcare Plus, focuses on chronic conditions. Together, the programs saved $180 million in FY2008 and $320 million in FY2009. One reason: better access to primary care. (AAFP News Now)

 

 

 

Dr. Eugene Heslin testifies in support of meaningful use, electronic records 
A Hudson Valley, N.Y., physician testified before Congress in support of meaningful use and talked about bringing medical practices into the 21st century, public radio station WAMC reported. Dr. Eugene Heslin, lead physician at Bridge Street Medical Group in Saugerties, N.Y. and a founding board member of the Taconic Health Information Network and Community (THINC), noted that the most expensive part of adopting meaningful use will be retraining health professionals--but it’s a necessary investment. (WAMC radio)