Adirondack Health Institute (AHI) in Glens
Falls and its Performing Provider System (PPS)
partners have the opportunity to earn up to
$186.7 million in performance-based payments
from the state Department of Health (DOH)
under the Delivery System Reform Incentive
Payment (DSRIP) Program’s Project Plan.
State officials said funding will be used to increase
the level of health care service integration
necessary to better manage population health
and embrace payment reform in nine Upstate
New York counties including Warren, Washington
and Saratoga.
The AHI PPS is one of 25 awardees in the state.
“Our region has been recognized for its strong
partnerships and we’re pleased by the state’s
investment in healthcare system transformation
and support of our regional initiatives,”
said Cathy Homkey, CEO of AHI.
“The DOH has
announced the maximum award our region can
earn. This number is based on our ability to hit
each milestone.”
The AHI PPS spans nearly 11,000 square miles,
affecting approximately 144,000 attributed lives.
The project will be implemented by partners
in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton,
Saratoga, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Washington
counties.
AHI established four Regional Health Innovation
Teams led by experts in health care
transformation from primary care, acute care,
and behavioral health settings, and each team
includes representation from the full care
continuum.
“The geography requires strong localized
planning units to develop plans and improve
performance,” said Homkey. “We believe this
structure will be essential to implementing
rapid-cycle change processes.”
The teams solicited partners, set goals, and
developed projects which formed the basis of an
application submitted to the DOH in December
2014.
“DSRIP provides our region with the opportunity
to redesign the system of care to improve the
health of the nearly 700,000 residents of our nine county service area,” said Dr. Colleen Florio AHI’s
vice president of health system transformation.
“The recent funding is focused on Medicaid, but
the entire region benefits from dollars provided
to support population health.”
Payments to providers will be based on
improvements in patient outcomes, utilizing
incentives to get providers to work together to
offer preventive, rather than reactive care; integrate
behavioral- and primary care services; offer
more home and community-based services; and
address the social determinants of health, such
as nutrition, housing and employment.
Each region has selected projects to develop.
In the nine-county AHI region, the team focused
on 11 projects.
“Four of the 11 projects are behavioral health
focused,” said Florio. “A majority of emergencydepartment
visits are related to, or complicated
by, behavioral health conditions, thus, the Incentive
Payment program places a large emphasis
on better serving individuals with behavioral
health care needs.”
New York state is re-investing nearly $6.5
billion in health-care delivery system redesign
statewide. Officials said the goals are to reduce
avoidable hospital use by 25 percent over five
years and ensure that New Yorkers achieve
high-quality care, better health outcomes and
lower cost. AHI was awarded a one-year project
design planning grant ($891,000) in July 2014,
and received an additional $1.2 million in planning
dollars in early 2015.
The funds were earmarked to develop the
Performing Provider System’s governance and
infrastructure, and to plan 11 projects in concert
with partner organizations.
Adirondack Health Institute is a nonprofit organization
that partners with regional healthcare
providers and community-based organizations to
improve care, lower costs and realize a healthier
future. Its mission is to promote, sponsor, and
coordinate initiatives and programs that improve
health care quality, access, and service delivery
in the Adirondack region. For more information,
visit www.adkhi.org.