Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts Announces 'Healthy Rhode Island'

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts, chair of the Rhode Island Healthcare Reform Commission, kicked-off "Healthy Rhode Island: A Plan for Rhode Island's Health Care System of the Future," a major public effort to reimagine the way the state keeps its residents healthy. Healthy Rhode Island is the federally-supported State Innovation Model (SIM) initiative announced in February.

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"The fact that tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders will have access to affordable health coverage in 2014 is an achievement in which we should all be proud," said Roberts. "However, coverage is just the beginning. In order to have a sustainable, high quality health care system in Rhode Island, we must change how we provide health care and how we pay for it. At the same time, we must also develop strategies to maintain and improve the health of Rhode Islanders."

Healthy Rhode Island will kick off in April, and for the next six months, health care providers, insurers, consumers, government leaders and community organizations will be brought together in a series of intensive working groups led by a nationally-recognized leader in health system transformation, The Advisory Board Company. The result will be a State Healthcare Innovation Plan, developed to chart the way from a health care system based on the volume of services provided to a system based on the value of services provided, and focusing on improving the health of Rhode Islanders. The plan will identify reforms for how health care is paid for and delivered, and opportunities in health care policy and regulation to attain the plan's objectives. The plan will also examine the role of community-based organizations that have not been traditional health care providers, but which have a great impact on the health of a community.

"We are already seeing the move away from traditional 'fee-for-service' with some of our providers, and where that is happening, patients are happier, health outcomes are better, and cost trends are moderating," Roberts said. "Now is the time to capitalize on the opportunity, with the support of the federal government, to set our health system on the path to the future."

The Healthy Rhode Island project is supported by a $1.6 million grant to the state from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). The project has selected The Advisory Board Company to lead this initiative because of its extensive experience in all subject areas of health care reform. It has an industry-leading reputation for helping hospital, health system, and physician clients navigate and succeed in health reform activities.  The Advisory Board Company's experts have previously worked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in managing one of the largest health system transformations in the country, the Adirondack Medical Home Pilot.

"Increasing costs and the demand for quality care continue to dictate the transformation in health care payment and delivery systems," said Dennis Weaver, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, Southwind at The Advisory Board Company.  "Development and implementation of a stronger, more effective health care model will ensure Rhode Islanders receive the highest quality, affordable care in the years to come."

Southwind, The Advisory Board Company's health care management and consulting services program, will partner with Grinnell Appreciative Consulting, a Rhode Island-based company, and Milliman, an industry-leading actuarial firm.  The firms will develop a State Health Care Innovation Plan which will be heavily derived from conversations with Rhode Island stakeholders and The Advisory Board Company's research and data analysis.

Additional information about the Healthy Rhode Island initiative is available on the Rhode Island Healthcare Reform Commission website: www.healthcare.ri.gov. 

About The Advisory Board Company
The Advisory Board Company is a global research, technology, and consulting firm partnering with 150,000 leaders in 3,700 organizations across health care and higher education.  Through its innovative membership model, the Company collaborates with executives and their teams to elevate performance and solve their most pressing challenges.  The Company provides strategic guidance, actionable insights, web-based software solutions, and comprehensive implementation and management services. For more information, visit the firm's website, www.advisory.com.

SOURCE The Advisory Board Company