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Agenda |
Workshops |
Exhibitors |
Vendor Opportunities
The Group Insurance Commission (GIC) is leading the way in developing programs to inform people about how to achieve the best quality and cost outcomes in their use of the health care system, while providing incentives that will help them use that information, according to Alan G. Macdonald, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable. Macdonald will moderate a discussion of the GIC’s Clinical Performance Improvement Initiative at the Consortium’s HealthMart 2006 conference, "Linking Cost, Efficiency and Clinical Quality," on October 13. Joining him on the Case Studies panel will be Dolores L. Mitchell, Executive Director of the Group Insurance Commission (GIC), and Matthew Frankel, principal of Mercer Human Resource Consulting, which collected data for the initiative. The Clinical Performance Improvement Initiative uses data from six health plans to compile information about the quality and cost efficiency of each individual provider’s care. The database is used to rate physicians and hospitals so that consumers can make informed choices. The inspiration for the initiative was work done by Arnold Milstein, MD, Medical Director of the Pacific Business Group on Health and National Health Care Thought Leader at William M. Mercer, according to Mitchell. Dr. Milstein had consulted with economists, asking where the greatest improvements in quality and cost-effectiveness could be found. Among the areas considered were administration and benefits packages. "The overwhelming consensus was that the time had come to look at delivery systems," said Mitchell. Taking into consideration Institute of Medicine reports on quality and safety, it was determined that it was no longer possible to say that every physician and hospital is as good as another, said Mitchell. To collect the data for the initiative, "the process involved multiple group meetings with the health plans in addition to several individual plan meetings to discuss the data content and transfer protocol," said Frankel. All the data submitted was mapped to a single, consolidated data warehouse, and provider efficiency and quality measurement were processed from the same aggregated dataset. "The ability to aggregate multiple sources of data in support of this type of analysis allows for a more robust set of results that are statistically relevant and actionable," said Frankel. Mitchell said it is too soon to tell what the impact of the initiative will be. "I don’t think we’ll see massive changes from consumers. People tend to want to stick with the providers they have," she said. "I hope it will get the attention of the providers," who won’t want to have a below-par rating. HealthMart 2006 will be held on Friday, October 13, 2006, at the Marriott Hotel, Routes 128 & 3A (One Mall Road), Burlington, MA.
For further information on any of our conferences and events, please contact Ellen Kreopolides, Event Planner, via e-mail or by phone (781)768-2519. If you would like information on exhibiting opportunities for this or other events, please contact Arleen Coletti, Director of Member & Exhibiting Services via e-mail or by phone (781)768-2512.
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