September 2021 HCH Newsletter
The Connection
In this newsletter:
- Director's Message
- Depression Care in Minnesota
- Carris Health / CentraCare: Health Equity in Rural Minnesota
- Get Ready to Learn!
- Congratulations to Certified Health Care Homes
- Noteworthy
Director's Message
Hello Health Care Homes,
We hope you have enjoyed the summer months this year and that you are well!
Please click on the topics shown below for detailed information on HCH program highlights.
The study is outlined in a recent article about MNCARES, published in the summer issue of Minnesota Family Physician. The article may be found here: WHAT MAKES CARE COORDINATION WORK BEST? (PDF).
Also, the MDH MNCARES website includes a calendar of key activities for HCHs participating in the study. The timeline dates and explanations will be updated around October 1 and will be a useful tool in planning and keeping track of your involvement in the study. The timeline can be found at: Calendar of MNCARES key activities (PDF).
Payment under the IHP model includes a population-based payment (PBP) for the attributed population. The PBP will take the place of current HCH care coordination payments being received for a IHP attributed member.
DHS publishes an annual RFP for the IHP program and now is the time to start planning to apply by reviewing the requirements, preparing for the application, and reaching out to DHS to discuss the program. Details about the current IHP Tracks are noted below. More information can be found at: DHS Integrated Health Partnerships.
Category | Track 1 | Track 2 |
---|---|---|
Track Overview | IHP entity will receive a risk-adjusted quarterly population-based payment (PBP) tied to clinical, utilization, and social determinant metrics | IHP entity will receive a risk-adjusted quarterly PBP and enter into a two-way risk model for shared savings/losses, tied to clinical, patient experience, social determinants, and HIE infrastructure metrics |
Requirements |
|
Same as Track 1, plus:
|
Applicable Provider Types |
|
|
Data and Peer Learning Support | All participating IHPs gain access to robust data files and reports, and peer support opportunities | All participating IHPs gain access to robust data files and reports, and peer support opportunities |
The HCH team will continue working with the DHS team and we will share more information about IHP in the near future.
As part of SEGIP’s ongoing efforts to integrate quality of care into their tiering system, Health Care Homes certification is being factored into the process of determining a clinic’s tier. This, in turn, impacts copays and other costs associated with insurance for state employees.
Beginning in the upcoming open enrollment period, indicators will be used on the SEGIP website to identify HCHs and will be accompanied by a description of what certification means.
Best,
~ Bonnie
Depression Care in Minnesota
Depression care has been a focus in Minnesota for more than a decade. Past substantive efforts have included Minnesota Bridges to Excellence, a purchaser-led pay-for-performance program, the DIAMOND and COMPASS Projects, quality improvement efforts directed at clinic performance, and other purposeful efforts. However, despite good intentions and thoughtful collaboration, patient outcomes have failed to improve significantly, and practices known to deliver improved outcomes such as Measurement-Based Care and the Collaborative Care Model have not been widely adopted by clinics and care systems in the state.
A 2019-2021 project funded by a prestigious Eugene B. Washington Community Engagement Award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) used a mixed methods approach (semi-structured interviews, surveys, and stakeholder and community convenings) to understand opportunities for Improving Together: Advancing Mental Health Outcomes in Minnesota.
With the input of stakeholders and communities, the project identified key enablers of success and challenges to address for Minnesota health care systems and clinics, including Health Care Homes. The project also identified community perspectives and insights on regional nuances. Finally, the work highlighted actions that can be taken by providers and health systems, health plans, employers, government, and community partners.
As noted by Dr. Angeline Carlson, R.Ph., PhD, and Debra Krause, MBA, “We are at a crisis point. If outcomes improve 1% per year, that is improvement. But at that rate, it would take decades to get mental health outcomes to a level on par with physical health conditions. Incremental change is insufficient. Transformation with a sense of urgency is needed, including accelerated adoption of evidence-based strategies such as Measurement-Based Care and the Collaborative Care Model.”
Transformation will require active engagement by all partners, including Health Care Homes. To learn more about the project findings and access resources for change, please see the article "Moving the needle on depression care" in the September/October 2021 issue of Minnesota Medicine as well as the newly-released infographic (PDF) created by MN Community Measurement.
Carris Health / CentraCare: Health Equity in Rural Minnesota
Over the years, Carris Health has been shifting its thought process when it comes to patients and their needs. Carris staff have been integrating work with other community agencies to help achieve health equity by bridging gaps in social determinants of health. Health equity is the ability for everyone to reach their optimal health and wellbeing without social determinants of health getting in the way.
In 2018 a partnership began between Carris Health and Loving Arms Daycare to start an Intergenerational Program. This program has brought toddlers into the nursing home setting to help improve quality of life for our residents and to also help develop better comfort levels for the kids to be around older adults. One of the Care Center residents had been reporting very low quality of life scores and after a few months of the program those scores rose significantly, which meant her mind was functioning better and she wanted to be more involved in other activities. COVID has hindered things the last couple of years, but the toddlers still make items or show up for window visits to keep the connection.
Food access is an issue for our patients, whether having enough money to purchase healthy food or lack of access to stores with healthy items. Many of our smaller communities have nothing but a convenience store with limited food selection or may not have easy access to a grocery store. To help bridge this gap, Carris Health developed a partnership involving MNYou Inc.’s One for One CSA (community supported agriculture) model. For each CSA sold, MNYou donates a CSA share to a patient of Carris’ that is identified as food insecure. To help those that may not have transportation to pick up their share, MNYou also offers a delivery service.
To address food access, Carris has been heavily involved in the creation of a Shared Garden in Willmar. The Shared Garden was strategically placed in a food desert within Willmar and is open to anyone to harvest items as needed, no questions asked. This garden is on its second year and the local food shelf has taken interest in this concept and would like a Shared Garden planted on their land in 2022.
Health equity isn’t giving the same hand up across the board and expecting that all will prosper; it is about seeking out what specifically is needed and addressing that issue to see success. Carris Health, along with community partners, will continue to strive to achieve health equity for our patients.
The HCH program thanks Amber Silva, BA, MS, Carris Health Community Wellness Specialist, for her work on this article.
Get Ready to Learn!
Looking for some new learning? HCH is ready for you, and we’re excited to fill you in on our plans for the coming year!
- E-Learning Courses. Explore best practices in Implementing a Clinic-based Self-Measured Blood Pressure (SMBP) Program and Collaborative Care – A Behavioral Health Integration Model. Free and CEU eligible. Coming this fall on the MDH Learning Center.
- Audiocasts. Have you checked out HCH audiocasts yet? Access these short podcast-like learning opportunities featuring care innovations from HCH clinics and stakeholders.
- Learning Days 2022. Thanks to all who weighed in on a virtual vs. in-person Learning Days survey. Results were evenly split, but the added uncertainty of COVID variants tipped the decision to go virtual for another year.
Mark your calendars for April 28, 2022. - Peer to Peer Networking. We learn best when we learn from each other! Planning is under way to pilot a series of peer-to-peer networking opportunities designed and hosted by HCH stakeholders with support from HCH. Launching in early 2022.
Stay up to date on these and other HCH Learning opportunities by subscribing to the LEARN Bulletin.
Congratulations to Certified Health Care Homes
Clinics recertifying July - September 2021 are listed below. Congratulations to this and other certified clinics working every day to provide better health and better care at lower cost!
Recertification
- Genevive (1 clinic)
Noteworthy
- MDH and the MCH Advisory Task Force is now accepting nominations for the Betty Hubbard MCH Leadership award. Round 1 Nominations Deadline: September 30, 2021. To learn more about the Award, the nomination process and how to nominate that exceptional person or organization, visit Betty Hubbard Award or email health.mch@state.mn.us .
- Read a new post on the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians website, “We must do something about physician burnout, depression & suicide.”
- Listen to a HealthcareNOW Radio Podcast featuring HCH Olmsted Medical Center: Advance Care Planning and Care Costs. They discuss the footwork of improving rural health, implementing population health initiatives, advance care planning, and collaborative teamwork. Caravan Health launched the podcast series to help uncover what’s driving health care transformation.
- The Minnesota Department of Commerce has received an additional $167 million in federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act to fund Minnesota’s Energy Assistance Program (EAP). EAP helps pay for home heating costs and furnace repairs for income-qualified households. The Department is encouraging thousands of Minnesota households to apply, especially those with past-due energy bills who are at risk of utility disconnections.
- A committee convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released a new report, “Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: Rebuilding the Foundation of Health Care.” A key takeaway from the report is that primary care is a common good, which makes the strength and quality of the country’s primary care services a public concern. The New York State Health Foundation hosted a webinar discussion on the report. Find the webinar recap at Scalable Solutions for Implementing High-Quality Primary Care | New York State Health Foundation.
- This year’s MN HIMSS & Minnesota e-Health Initiative Conference virtual event will be a weekly series of 90-minute sessions during lunch time starting September 21, 2021. Topics are:
- What is the role of HIT as we come out of the pandemic and an upended health care system?
- Can HIT help improve health equity? Does technology equalize or further exacerbate systemic racism?
- Why Does My Dog Get Better Healthcare Than I Do?
- What’s next in digital transformation? Will Google, Amazon, and Apple take over health care?
- View a webinar, Disparities in Childhood Health, presented by a collaboration of Minnesota health plans on July 28th. This webinar looked at disparities in childhood health such as immunizations and well childcare. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated these inequities. Clinicians and public health entities have a role in finding solutions to improving these gaps in care. Click the links to find: more information on the webinar (PDF); the webinar Presentation slide handouts (PDF); other webinars on the Stratis Health website.
- The Pediatric Care Coordination: Community of Practice facilitates communication and collaboration among pediatric care coordinators across Minnesota to better serve children and youth with special health needs. The Phase 1 Project Update includes program highlights from January 2020-June 2021.
- MN Community Measurement has released a Spotlight Report: Summary of Health Care Quality Measures for 2020 (PDF), with comparison to 2019 as context for understanding the disruptions experienced in 2020.