Sunday
Employers Pay Cash Bonuses to Doctors Providing Optimal Diabetes Care
39 Upper Midwest Clinics Meet Stringent Bridges to Excellence Treatment
Goals
MINNEAPOLIS, July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Thirty-nine clinic sites from 15
medical groups in Minnesota, North Dakota and Western Wisconsin have earned
recognition for meeting diabetes treatment goals established by Bridges to
Excellence, a pay-for-performance program that pays health care providers
bonuses for optimal care of diseases.
The Minnesota Bridges to Excellence effort is sponsored by the employer coalition Buyers Health Care Action Group (BHCAG) and involves 10 private and public health care purchasers
including the Carlson Companies, General Electric, Honeywell, 3M, Wells Fargo as well as the Minnesota Department of Human Services and Minnesota Department of Employee Relations.
Bridges to Excellence was created by employers in 2002 to encourage significant leaps in the quality of care by rewarding health care providers who deliver effective and efficient care.
This year the top-performing Minnesota physicians in diabetes care will earn $100 for each diabetes patient covered by a participating purchaser. The reward is based on their diabetic patients meeting all five of the following Optimal Diabetes Care clinical measures:
-- Have a hemoglobin (blood sugar) count less than 7 (indicates diabetes is under control)
-- LDL Cholesterol level less than 100
-- Blood pressure is less than 130 over 80
-- Patients are not smoking
-- Patients over the age of 40 take a daily aspirin
Clinic sites that have at least 20% of their diabetic patients meeting all five measures receive the recognition. "By meeting these goals, doctors help patients manage their illness and reduce complications that affect so many people with diabetes, explained Charlie Montreuil, BHCAG Chair and Carlson Companies' Vice President of Corporate Human Resources.
The doctors' rewards are determined by an annual health care quality analysis conducted by MN Community Measurement (http://www.mnhealthcare.org), which provides results on the quality of treatment at more than 700 clinics throughout Minnesota. Montreuil noted Bridges to Excellence switched to recognizing doctors at the clinic level to make it easier for consumers to find the best care in their communities.
"We know medical groups provide the leadership and resources for doctors in their systems to treat diabetes effectively. However, our goal as employers and purchasers is to direct employees to specific clinics with high-performance results." To promote continual improvement, Bridges to Excellence raises the doctors' performance bar each
year.
Medical groups with clinics earning the rewards include:
AALFA Family Clinic -- One clinic in White Bear Lake
Altru Health System -- One clinic in Cavalier, ND
Allina Health Services -- One clinic in Farmington
Camden Physicians -- One clinic in Minneapolis
Family Practice Medical Center -- One clinic in Willmar
Fairview Health Services-- Clinic locations are Cedar Ridge,
Crosstown, Eagan, Eden Center, Lakeville, Ridge Valley, Chisago
Lakes, Elk River, Hugo, North Branch, Princeton, Rush City, Oxboro,
Ridges and Red Wing
FPA France Avenue Family Physicians
FPA Richfield Medical Group
HealthEast -- One clinic in Downtown St. Paul
HealthPartners Central Minnesota Clinics - -One clinic in St. Cloud
HealthPartners Medical Group -- Two clinics -- Downtown St. Paul and
Inver Grove Heights
MeritCare Medical Group -- One clinic in Halstad
Park Nicollet Health Services -- Three clinics in St. Louis Park,
Minnetonka and Eden Prairie
St. Cloud Medical Group -- Two clinics in St. Cloud
Southdale Internal Medicine -- One clinic in Edina
Western Wisconsin Medical Associates -- Clinics in Ellsworth, Hudson,
New Richmond. River Falls and Spring Valley, Wisconsin
Winona Clinic -- One clinic in Winona
A detailed listing of the 39 clinics is available at
http://www.bhcag.com and http://www.mnhealthcare.org
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 17 million Americans have diabetes. Employees suffering from poorly controlled diabetes typically miss about 12 days of work per year as compared to just two days for diabetics whose illness is well controlled. Bridges to Excellence is currently active in 17 states.
The Minnesota Bridges to Excellence program is directed by a guiding coalition of employers, providers, health plans and organizations who set the performance goals and physician reward process. "The financial incentives accelerate physician practice changes and improve care for patients," stated BHCAG CEO Carolyn Pare. "Our goal is to reward more Minnesota providers so consumers will have access to high-quality providers throughout the state."
Editors' Note: The following clinic system leaders are available to comment on the programs they have developed to meet the Bridges to Excellence quality goals and improve the care of their diabetes patients: Andy Vinson, HealthPartners Central Minnesota
Phone: 320-203-2020
Julie Johnson, MD, HealthPartners Central Minnesota
Phone: 320-253-5220
Barry Bershow, MD - Fairview Health Services
Phone: 612-672-2022
s.server=server()
s.channel="News Release"
s.pageName="Employers Pay Cash Bonuses to Doctors Providing Optimal Diabetes Care"
SOURCE Buyers Health Care Action Group
Goals
MINNEAPOLIS, July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Thirty-nine clinic sites from 15
medical groups in Minnesota, North Dakota and Western Wisconsin have earned
recognition for meeting diabetes treatment goals established by Bridges to
Excellence, a pay-for-performance program that pays health care providers
bonuses for optimal care of diseases.
The Minnesota Bridges to Excellence effort is sponsored by the employer coalition Buyers Health Care Action Group (BHCAG) and involves 10 private and public health care purchasers
including the Carlson Companies, General Electric, Honeywell, 3M, Wells Fargo as well as the Minnesota Department of Human Services and Minnesota Department of Employee Relations.
Bridges to Excellence was created by employers in 2002 to encourage significant leaps in the quality of care by rewarding health care providers who deliver effective and efficient care.
This year the top-performing Minnesota physicians in diabetes care will earn $100 for each diabetes patient covered by a participating purchaser. The reward is based on their diabetic patients meeting all five of the following Optimal Diabetes Care clinical measures:
-- Have a hemoglobin (blood sugar) count less than 7 (indicates diabetes is under control)
-- LDL Cholesterol level less than 100
-- Blood pressure is less than 130 over 80
-- Patients are not smoking
-- Patients over the age of 40 take a daily aspirin
Clinic sites that have at least 20% of their diabetic patients meeting all five measures receive the recognition. "By meeting these goals, doctors help patients manage their illness and reduce complications that affect so many people with diabetes, explained Charlie Montreuil, BHCAG Chair and Carlson Companies' Vice President of Corporate Human Resources.
The doctors' rewards are determined by an annual health care quality analysis conducted by MN Community Measurement (http://www.mnhealthcare.org), which provides results on the quality of treatment at more than 700 clinics throughout Minnesota. Montreuil noted Bridges to Excellence switched to recognizing doctors at the clinic level to make it easier for consumers to find the best care in their communities.
"We know medical groups provide the leadership and resources for doctors in their systems to treat diabetes effectively. However, our goal as employers and purchasers is to direct employees to specific clinics with high-performance results." To promote continual improvement, Bridges to Excellence raises the doctors' performance bar each
year.
Medical groups with clinics earning the rewards include:
AALFA Family Clinic -- One clinic in White Bear Lake
Altru Health System -- One clinic in Cavalier, ND
Allina Health Services -- One clinic in Farmington
Camden Physicians -- One clinic in Minneapolis
Family Practice Medical Center -- One clinic in Willmar
Fairview Health Services-- Clinic locations are Cedar Ridge,
Crosstown, Eagan, Eden Center, Lakeville, Ridge Valley, Chisago
Lakes, Elk River, Hugo, North Branch, Princeton, Rush City, Oxboro,
Ridges and Red Wing
FPA France Avenue Family Physicians
FPA Richfield Medical Group
HealthEast -- One clinic in Downtown St. Paul
HealthPartners Central Minnesota Clinics - -One clinic in St. Cloud
HealthPartners Medical Group -- Two clinics -- Downtown St. Paul and
Inver Grove Heights
MeritCare Medical Group -- One clinic in Halstad
Park Nicollet Health Services -- Three clinics in St. Louis Park,
Minnetonka and Eden Prairie
St. Cloud Medical Group -- Two clinics in St. Cloud
Southdale Internal Medicine -- One clinic in Edina
Western Wisconsin Medical Associates -- Clinics in Ellsworth, Hudson,
New Richmond. River Falls and Spring Valley, Wisconsin
Winona Clinic -- One clinic in Winona
A detailed listing of the 39 clinics is available at
http://www.bhcag.com and http://www.mnhealthcare.org
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 17 million Americans have diabetes. Employees suffering from poorly controlled diabetes typically miss about 12 days of work per year as compared to just two days for diabetics whose illness is well controlled. Bridges to Excellence is currently active in 17 states.
The Minnesota Bridges to Excellence program is directed by a guiding coalition of employers, providers, health plans and organizations who set the performance goals and physician reward process. "The financial incentives accelerate physician practice changes and improve care for patients," stated BHCAG CEO Carolyn Pare. "Our goal is to reward more Minnesota providers so consumers will have access to high-quality providers throughout the state."
Editors' Note: The following clinic system leaders are available to comment on the programs they have developed to meet the Bridges to Excellence quality goals and improve the care of their diabetes patients: Andy Vinson, HealthPartners Central Minnesota
Phone: 320-203-2020
Julie Johnson, MD, HealthPartners Central Minnesota
Phone: 320-253-5220
Barry Bershow, MD - Fairview Health Services
Phone: 612-672-2022
s.server=server()
s.channel="News Release"
s.pageName="Employers Pay Cash Bonuses to Doctors Providing Optimal Diabetes Care"
SOURCE Buyers Health Care Action Group
Labels: diabetes news
