MADISON, Wis. (March 22, 2017) – The Alliance® has received a matching grant of up to $50,000 to expand its QualityPath® program to create a pathway to high-value colonoscopies.
The matching grant was made by the Purchaser Value Network (PVN), an initiative of the Pacific Business Group on Health, San Francisco, Calif. PVN aims to accelerate the adoption of high-value health care delivery and payment models through policy advocacy, education and purchaser engagement.
The Alliance received one of eight PVN grants made nationwide with funding provided by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. PVN announced the grants in press releases on Feb. 6 and March 21. The grants provide funding of up to $50,000 for regional business coalitions implementing innovative practices in value-based purchasing and health care payment reform.
The Alliance plans to introduce QualityPath for colonoscopies in June 2018. Launched in 2015, the QualityPath program currently guides patients to high-quality providers for CTs and MRI scans and knee replacement, total hip replacement and coronary artery bypass graft surgeries.
QualityPath offers these benefits:
- For surgeries, using a bundled payment approach, which means that all participating doctors, clinics and hospitals receive a single, pre-determined payment. In a traditional approach, each component of the surgery is billed separately.
- Eliminating out-of-pocket costs or deductibles for patients on a traditional health plan when using QualityPath (savings vary for patients with a plan that has a health savings account).
- Identifying high-quality care based on national quality measures. For surgeries and for colonoscopies, quality measurements are based on the combination of a specific doctor working at a specific hospital.
- Providing a warranty for care provided as part of QualityPath.
Employers who are members of The Alliance can enroll in QualityPath, which is then offered to employees and family members enrolled in health plans that use The Alliance network. A list of participating doctors, hospitals and clinics is available on The Alliance website (www.the-alliance.org).
The Alliance is a not-for-profit cooperative that moves health care forward by controlling costs, improving quality and engaging individuals in their health. Members include more than 240 self-funded employers and multiemployer plans in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa.
Alliance President and CEO Cheryl DeMars is available for interviews on request.
ABOUT THE PURCHASER VALUE NETWORK
The Purchaser Value Network, an initiative of the Pacific Business Group on Health, aims to accelerate the adoption of high value health care delivery and payment models through policy advocacy, education and purchaser engagement. The network seeks to inject purchaser perspectives and innovative best practices into federal and state policy decision making, educate employers about value based purchasing and advocacy opportunities, and aligns three critical purchaser sectors – private employers, states, and the federal government – around evidence-based practices. For more information, visit www.pvnetwork.org.
Contact:
Craig Sauer
Marketing & Communications Specialist
Phone: 608.210.6638
E-mail: csauer@the-alliance.org