Ten VHA Upper Midwest region hospitals pilot advanced clinical and supply data analysis to improve performance

IRVING, Texas, April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- VHA Inc., the national health care network, announced a pilot project with 10 hospitals and health systems in its Upper Midwest region to help analyze how variations in clinical practice and supply usage affect patient outcomes and the total cost of care. Participating organizations will use VHA IMPERATIV™ Advantage to explore detailed cost and utilization data to help them engage physicians in cost reduction conversations based on objective, clinical comparisons regarding specific disease states.

Organizations participating in the clinical-supply pilot include:

"This is an exciting project that will provide health care organizations with new insights to drive clinical improvement and improve their bottom line," said Rob Welch, M.D., vice president of clinical affairs for VHA Upper Midwest. "One of the most powerful aspects is that hospitals will be able to collaborate with physicians using actual performance data so that they can more objectively assess patterns, results and opportunities for improvement."

VHA IMPERATIV Advantage is a comprehensive solution that enables hospital executives, physicians, service-line leaders, performance improvement and quality staff to access advanced analytics on physician- and patient-level data across multiple domains. Audience-specific views provide hospitals and physicians information on clinical practice variations and their impact on cost, quality and outcomes.

With guidance from VHA's expert advisors, health care providers are able to identify areas of opportunity based on variations in hospital and physician performance on quality, operational and financial metrics and then collaborate towards improvement. Each hospital tracks its own patient and supply data with VHA IMPERATIV Advantage data partners, Truven Health Analytics™ and UHC, providing industry-leading clinical and operational benchmarking that is adjusted for case mix and risk.

The organizations participating in the project are also members of the Upper Midwest Consolidated Services Center, LLC, a VHA SupplyNetwork® consisting of 41 hospitals and health systems representing $3.9 billion in annual supply spend.

"The health care organizations participating in the VHA IMPERATIV Advantage and clinical-supply integration pilot have been leaders in using data towards better decision-making and more collaboration for the last decade, and they have experienced how it can drive sustainable improvement," said Steve Miff, PhD, senior vice president, VHA's Clinical and Care Delivery Solutions. "As we share key learnings across the network we are excited about how these analytics, engagement and expertise can help members nationwide deliver better care at a lower cost."

VHA advisors work with members' leadership, clinical and supply executives to review aggregate pricing and usage variation among providers, comparing product use and clinical outcomes across associated disease states. For example, in looking at heart disease, the system might reveal differences in the type of drugs or pacemakers used, and then hospitals can engage clinicians to understand why they selected the particular products or protocol and the result on patient outcomes. In addition, organizations have access to leading practice knowledge resources and collaborative networking opportunities that accelerate improvements by providing practical step-by-step guides for specific conditions.

About VHA
VHA Inc., based in Irving, Texas, is a national network of not-for-profit health care organizations that work together to drive maximum savings in the supply chain arena, set new levels of clinical performance, and identify and implement best practices to improve operational efficiency and clinical outcomes. Since 1977, VHA has leveraged its expertise in analytics, contracting, consulting and networks to help members achieve their operational, clinical and financial objectives. In 2011, VHA delivered record savings and value of $1.9 billion to members. VHA serves more than 1,350 hospitals and more than 72,000 non-acute care providers nationwide, coordinating delivery of its programs and services through its 13 regional offices. VHA has been ranked as one of the best places to work in healthcare by Modern Healthcare since the publication introduced this list in 2008. For more information, visit www.vha.com and follow us on Twitter (@VHAInc).

SOURCE VHA Inc.