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Indiana Health Information Exchange: Program Reaches 1,500 Physicians, in Excess of 1 Million PatientsMar 07, 2011 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) -- The Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE) said that its Quality Health First Program has enrolled over 1,500 physicians in over 50 communities throughout Indiana to help improve screenings rates and to support the management of medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma and breast cancer for nearly one million Hoosiers. In a release, the group said that patients needing these and other interventions are flagged in reports to their primary care physician, enabling the physician to make the best care decisions possible before, during and after patient visits. Participation is open to any primary care practice in Indiana, regardless of its size or number of physicians, and is not restrictive to practices that do not use electronic health records. The reports are based on over three billion pieces of clinical information, along with claims information, to provide the most up-to-date, strong and relevant information available. The program allows physicians to review and verify the data, and to reconcile missing or inaccurate data. "The reports we receive help us to find patients who are not getting regular care for either routine services or chronic disease management," said Dr. Louis Winternheimer, medical director of the Raphael Health Center in Indianapolis. "As a result, we mail reminders or make phone contact with the patients based on the reports." Providing early interventions and consistent follow-up care to those patients with chronic diseases is a critical step to capping healthcare costs. As such, the program provides a structure for health plans to reimburse physicians based on improvements in patient outcomes. IHIE said that for care provided in 2009, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Indiana awarded bonus payments totaling $3.4 million to participating primary care physicians in Indiana based on improvements in overall patient health. The amount of bonus payments from Anthem for care delivered by participating physicians in 2010 is expected to exceed that amount. In addition to Anthem, United Healthcare and Unified Group Services, Medicare and Medicaid all participate in the program. "Our practice elected to participate in the Quality Health First Program because of the standardized measurement of medical quality and outcomes across health plans," said Sandy DeWeese, RN and Administrator of Southern Indiana Pediatrics in Bloomington, Ind. "This comprehensive program gives us a practice-wide view of care needed for all of our patients, rather than just a segment of our patient population." ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) |