Cost & Quality

Cost and Quality Initiatives.

 Projects and activities in this division focus on:

• improving quality
• decreasing healthcare costs

Activities and initiatives in this area are carried out through three types of activity:

• Quality improvement initiatives, carried out under the auspices of the GDAHC Save Lives, Save Dollars (TM) Initiative, that are designed to promote increase use of evidence-based medicine.
• Analysis of timely health policy issues relevant to GDAHC's mission, followed up with efforts to ensure that health policies are consistent with GDAHC's health policy statement.

The following are recent projects and activities:

• Save Lives, Save Dollars (TM)
• SEM HealthCare Future Directions Initiative  

About the SEM Health Care Future Directions Initiative

In 2003, with a focus on quality and a goal to improve cost and health care delivery, the Greater Detroit Area Health Council's Southeast Michigan Future Directions Initiative was convened. A multi-stakeholder task force representing employers, physicians, health systems, labor and community collaborated to develop a recommendation that will be the foundation of change in southeast Michigan.

The Recommendation

All southeast Michigan payers forge an agreement to offer differential reimbursement to providers for delivering high-quality, cost-effective care as reflected in 12-20 common clinical measures.The unique feature of this recommendation is that all payers would agree to standardize performance expectations in the clinical areas where clear evidence already exists for high quality care and cost impact.

Public reporting is a key element of this recommendation.

The Health Council convened this task force because of the need for:

• long-term solutions,
• a regional approach,
• achievable strategies based in research, and
• the importance of stewardship.

Future Directions is an opportunity to integrate southeastern Michigan's isolated, incremental efforts to save money and improve quality with a more swift impact than if the region's diverse stakeholders continue to implement separate strategies.

As opportunities turn into action, this initiative will save lives and save dollars.

Phase One of Future Directions was co-chaired by John Lewis, vice chairman, Comerica, Inc. and Kathleen Holycross, president and CEO, Visiting Nurse Association.

The goals of the task force were:

• To establish anew working environment among stakeholders in the region
• To create a new vision and priorities for health care in southeast Michigan
• To develop and implement concrete, achievable strategies to improve health and health care meaningfully in the region
• To select and present research and indicators of health and health care in the region, which stakeholders agree are the foundation of achievable strategies.

The task force deliverables have included:

• the recommendation
• Health and Health Care in Southeastern Michigan: A Chart book
• an analysis of models of regional cooperation
• an analysis of financial incentives for delivering quality care.

The Save Lives Save Dollars program was borne out of the work of Future Directions.

Staff:  Devorah Rich, Vice President, drich@gdahc.org; Lisa Mason, Senior Program Manager, lmason@gdahc.org; Kimberly Bologna, Project Assistant, kbologna@gdahc.org.