Roughly 1,000 Kansas physicians are joining a nationwide initiative aimed at rewarding quality over volume, according to a report published by KCUR.
Here are four things to know about the initiative.
1. The Kansas physicians will be part of a six-state transformation project managed by the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative, a nonprofit organization formed more than a decade ago by physicians and hospitals in the state.
2. Each participating state will be able to focus on its own improvement strategy, said Tom Evans, MD, the CEO of the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative, according to the report.
3. Georgia, Oklahoma and South Dakota are also among the states participating in what has been named the Compass Practice Transformation Network. The network, which will be funded by a grant from CMS, is one of 39 collaborative groups chosen to be part of a $685 million campaign announced Tuesday by the federal government to improve patient care.
4. As part of the Compass Practice Transformation Network, groups of participating Kansas physicians will be assigned coaches to help them come up with better ways of managing patients with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, according to the report. Using data from EHRs, the coaches will identify high-need and high-cost patients and then work with physicians to develop more effective and efficient treatment protocols, the report notes.
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