HHS Secretary Leavitt Recognizes Minnesota as a Chartered Value Exchange

Published Thursday, March 27, 2008

On March 13, 2008, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt was at Woodwinds Hospital in Woodbury, Minnesota, to recognize Minnesota as one of the newly formed Chartered Value Exchanges (CVE). Minnesota is one of 14 communities with a special federal distinction for their strong commitment to improving quality and value in health care. The Secretary designated these partnerships of providers, employers, insurers, and consumers as the country’s first Chartered Value Exchanges (CVE) for their work to implement cutting-edge, collaborative methods to transform health care at the local level.

The Minnesota proposal was selected from the nearly 40 applicants to be among the first group of new CVEs. The Minnesota effort is a joint endeavor co-led by the Buyers Health Care Action Group, the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, MN Community Measurement, and Stratis Health.

Local public-private collaboration is essential to the success of national health care reform, according to Secretary Leavitt. While measures and standards of quality and efficiency must continue to be developed nationally, health care is delivered locally.

Starting summer 2008, Chartered Value Exchanges will have access to information from Medicare that gauges the quality of care physicians provide to patients. CVE communities will join a nationwide Learning Network sponsored by HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This network will provide peer-to-peer learning experiences.

Secretary Leavitt also announced a new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services demonstration project to expand electronic health record system use in physician offices.

"We have a longstanding commitment to health care innovation and improvement in Minnesota. Our selection as one of the first Chartered Value Exchanges will support providers, consumers, and purchasers to continue to find groundbreaking ways to work together to advance a value-driven health care system," said Jennifer Lundblad, PhD, MBA, CEO of Stratis Health, one of the Minnesota Chartered Value Exchange sponsoring organizations. "One of the important tools to achieve our goals is through the use of health information technologies, an area where we have significant interest and momentum in Minnesota. We are pleased about the attention that Secretary Leavitt’s new electronic health record demonstration project brings to this work."

BHCAG is a coalition of private and public employers working to redirect the health care system to focus on a collective goal of optimal health and total value. ICSI is an independent, non-profit organization that brings medical groups, hospitals, health plans, employers and other groups together to provide patient-centered and value-driven care to patients in Minnesota and surrounding states.

MNCM is a community-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the improvement of health in Minnesota through measurement and public reporting of health care performance. Stratis Health is a non-profit organization that leads collaboration and innovation in health care quality and safety, and serves as a trusted expert in facilitating improvement for people and communities.