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Discern, LLC 1501 Sulgrave Avenue, Suite 302 Baltimore, Maryland 21209 (410) 542-4470 phone (410) 542-9990 fax
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DISCERN NEWS
October 2010 The Hospital Quality Alliance Selects Discern for Management Services
The Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) recently selected Discern to provide coalition management and senior staff scommitted upport. The HQA is a national public-private collaboration to quality improvement and making hospital performance information visible to the public.
In this role, Discern will provide facilitation, management, and support services for the HQA members and stakeholders in various committees and workgroups. Discern staff will also monitor and participate in relevant activities of the National Quality Forum, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and other policy-setting organizations. In addition, Discern will support the HQA's public reporting initiatives, providing quality measurement and performance improvement expertise, and advise on integrating these efforts into new health care reform models.
Discern is honored to provide organizational development and management services to the HQA. We look forward to continuing the HQA's mission of improving patient care through the selection of measures and the distribution of effective hospital performance data.
Guy D'Andrea to Speak about Transitions of Care at NBCH Conference
Discern President Guy D'Andrea is scheduled to speak about "Transitions of Care and Pay-For-Performance: Aligning Financial Incentives to Reduce Costly Readmissions" at the National Business Coalition on Health's Annual Conference on November 15. The event will be held at the JW Marriot in Washington, DC.
During the session, Guy will discuss Discern's project to develop specifications for a physician P4P framework focused on transitions of care, including the methodology for determining quality measures, a scoring system, and recommended awards amounts. The Discern team will also be on site in booth 38 in the Exhibit Hall. Please stop by, say hello, and find out what's new at Discern. To learn more about the NBCH conference, please click here.
Discern's Value-Based Purchasing Work to be Featured at American Association of Healthcare Consultants' Conference
Discern President Guy D'Andrea has been selected to present "Aligning Provider Payment with Improved System Performance" at the American Association of Healthcare Consultants' Fall Conference on October 14 in Kohler, Wisconsin.
Guy will provide an overview of value-based purchasing concepts and programs, including pay-for-performance, episode payment, patient-centered medical home and value-based benefit design initiatives. He will also discuss how new federal health care reform impacts measurement and incentive programs and the future coordinated care model of Accountable Care Organizations. To learn more, please visit the AAHC website.
August 2010
Maryland Health Care Commission Selects Discern for Second Phase of Patient-Centered Medical Home Program Development Discern recently received procurement funding from the Maryland Health Care Commission to continue working on the state's patient-centered medical home (PCMH) pilot program, slated to launch to 50 primary care practices in January 2011. While the first phase of the project involved designing a shared savings payment structure and quality standards for the PCMH, the second phase focuses on medical home implementation. Specifically, Discern will analyze the PCMH payment methodology further to finalize the incentive formula for participating physicians. Discern will also assist with physician transformation to become a medical home, including providing technical support to practices about NCQA PCMH recognition via outreach sessions and developing a payment calculator to determine a practice's rewards potential. Discern is excited to continue its involvement with this important project. The Baltimore Business Journal recently featured Discern's work in the article, "Md. outlines payment plan for new patient care model."
Guy D'Andrea to Speak at Pittsburgh Business Group on Health's Annual Symposium Discern President Guy D'Andrea is scheduled to speak about "Chronic Care Management: Framework and Strategies Under Health Care Reform" at the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health's Annual Symposium on September 9. The event will be held at the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center. Click to learn more about the symposium or to register.
Discern Welcomes New Operations Manager Nancy Coon recently joined the Discern team as Operations Manager. She will oversee Discern's day-to-day operations, including general bookkeeping, human resources tasks, internal office operations and vendor relationships. Previously, Nancy worked as an Administrative Assistant at Re/Max 100, where she coordinated marketing and administrative activities for a group of real estate agents. She has also served as a Management Analyst at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Export Administration, and a Labor Relations Assistant at the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Please join us in welcoming Nancy!
April 2010 Discern to Support Development of Payment Methods for Patient-Centered Medical Homes in Maryland
Discern has been awarded a contract by the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) to assist in the development of payment methods for patient-centered medical homes. SB 855, unanimously passed by the state legislature and signed by Governor Martin O'Malley on April 13, directs the MHCC and the state's health plans to establish a patient-centered medical home pilot program. The legislation requires that the MHCC develop a methodology for payment to medical homes participating in the pilot program. Discern will support this task by:
· Conducting analyses and making recommendations regarding formulae for the per member per month (PMPM) component of the payment · Examining issues for devising a shared savings payment methodology
As part of this project, Discern will analyze the fixed and variable costs that primary care practices incur to operate as medical homes, and the value they create through improved patient health status and reduced hospitalizations.
In addition to the patient-centered medical home project, Discern has experience working on a variety of initiatives to develop and implement innovative payment methods that promote better health system performance.
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