The Effect of Health Reform

"How has health reform affected your organization?" Fielding this question at a recent panel discussion prompted me to reflect on how Stratis Health is working differently today within the rapidly changing context of health care. Compared to even two years ago, we have...

A sharpened focus on value. For most of our 40-year history, Stratis Health has focused on clinical and organizational changes that improve health and health care quality, with payment and cost issues on the periphery. Today, improving value is central to our work—the combination of cost, quality, and experience that we have come to know as the Triple Aim. Stratis Health's efforts help health care providers across the continuum of care be successful in a value-driven environment, whether through technical assistance in data collection and reporting, using data to drive improvement, or leading organizations through clinical and organizational change.

Reframed our work across the continuum of care. Stratis Health has long worked across the continuum of health care—acute care, primary care, nursing homes, home health care, among others; but our work often reflected the silos of care delivery. Today, we are leading efforts to put communities and patients at the center of care improvement and break down the silos. Our rural palliative care initiative focuses on building community capacity. In our recently launched Medicare adverse drug event project, we first identified a group of patients with multiple chronic conditions and medications, then developed a project based on their network of providers across settings of care.

Our work now actively encourages providers to include the patient and family as valuable members of the team, identifying their wishes and needs, jointly developing a care plan, and empowering them to make decisions and be active in their health care.

Intensified our role as a trusted interpreter of federal policy and programs to local needs and opportunities. Stratis Health works to serve as a proactive information resource regarding local and national health care quality priorities. In addition to the two federal programs we lead locally—the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization and the Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center, today, we are in the know about the wide range of initiatives and opportunities rapidly emerging from federal agencies. Lately, this has been a lot about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Partnership for Patients, and proposed health reform rules on ACOs and health insurance exchanges. Initiatives also include HRSA's Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project, the CDC's healthcare associated infection efforts, and AHRQ's national quality reports. We are a resource for providers, partners, and policy makers, wisely interpreting federal policies and programs, while serving as a conduit for local innovation and feedback to federal agencies and policy makers.

The first two changes in Stratis Health's work enable the providers we work with to build a foundation that supports success in a redesigned health care system, including shared savings programs, changing processes to reduce unnecessary readmissions, and implementing a health care home, as well as innovative ideas and approaches not yet on the horizon. The third change ensures that Stratis Health is actively seeking and sharing information, staying attuned to local needs and opportunities, and helping our community be smart about and be a leader in the new world of health care.

Jennifer P. Lundblad, PhD, MBA

President and CEO, Stratis Health