Taconic IPA's President A. John Blair, MD Will Present at World Congress Leadership Summit on Medical Home Nov. 17-19

FISHKILL, N.Y., Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bringing the promise of the patient-centered medical home to fruition requires coordination across the entire medical neighborhood--primary care providers, payers, hospitals, specialists and patients. A. John Blair III, MD, president of Taconic Independent Practice Association and CEO of MedAllies, will co-present in a discussion of the roles and responsibilities of health care partners in the advanced patient-centered medical home at the World Congress Leadership Summit on the Patient Centered Medical Home, set for Nov. 17-19 in San Diego.

As the advanced medical home moves forward as a model to achieve better outcomes and cost savings, the typical American primary care physician practice must be transformed to support better access, effective care coordination and meaningful use of health information technology. The patient's expectations for his or her role will also evolve, and providers must be prepared to measure and evaluate patient satisfaction. Health plans and other payers have a significant role to play in new payment models that support patient engagement, improved access and care coordination.

Blair speaks from experience as a physician leader in an advanced PCMH and care coordination pay-for-performance project. A collaborative effort of the Taconic Health Information Network and Community (THINC), TIPA and MedAllies, a health information services provider, brought about an innovative quality initiative in 2009 that resulted in National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recognition of 51 primary care practice sites as Level 3 patient-centered medical homes, the highest level achievable. This groundbreaking accomplishment was achieved by 236 physicians within 11 primary care practice groups (seven medical groups with multiple practice locations and four single site practices) and represents 44 percent of total Level 3 clinicians in New York, and nearly 10 percent of all practices at this level across the country.

This collaboration brought together multiple members of the medical neighborhood. Taconic IPA funded consulting and practice support resources for the project. The THINC community managed the overall project and the practices themselves provided staff and resources to make the transformation. Six health plans and IBM committed to pay incentives in 2010 to the practices for meeting the project goals. Ongoing evaluation of the advanced primary care project is measuring patient and provider satisfaction and quality improvement outcomes.

Data is being collected and evaluated by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College to determine whether the new model of care meets its promise of improving care while controlling costs.

"Primary care physicians must communicate and coordinate with specialists, hospitals, patients and providers for effective health care delivery," Blair said. "While a number of the successful models tested across the U.S. involved closed provider systems, the Hudson Valley Initiative includes solo practitioners, multi-specialty groups, and federally qualified community health centers in health information exchange and medical home transformation. This community collaboration model is one that we believe can be effectively duplicated across the country. We are testing and evaluating so we can answer many of the questions about expanding the PCMH model."

Blair will co-present with Paul J. Wallace, MD, medical director for health and productivity management programs and senior advisor for the Care Management Institute and Avivia Health, part of the Permanente Federation. "Identify the Health Care Partners of Integrated Care," will take place Thursday, Nov. 18 at 4:15 p.m. For more information about the World Congress Leadership Summit on the Patient Centered Medical Home, go to https://www.worldcongress.com/events/HL10047/index.cfm?confCode=HL10047.

To read more about the care coordination work in the Hudson Valley, read the issue brief, "Pursuing care coordination, Hudson Valley Initiative fulfills the promise of the medical home," at http://0101.nccdn.net/1_5/35f/24c/1b6/HVIissuebrief3.FINALhighres.pdf.

About Taconic IPA

The Taconic IPA is a nearly 4,000-member physician group at the forefront of transforming health care delivery through meaningful use of technology and pay-for-performance incentives to increase the quality and cost effectiveness of patient care. Taconic IPA's mission is to optimize the value of medical services through patient-centered care while maximizing physician satisfaction. For more information, visit http://www.taconicipa.com. Taconic IPA is part of the Hudson Valley Initiative, an effort to revolutionize health care delivery through a shared vision to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of health care in the community. To learn more, go to http://www.hudsonvalleyinitiative.com.

SOURCE Taconic IPA