CMS released the final ACO rule on 10/20/11. The following is a summary of the conference call CMS held and the documents that were released regarding the final rule. MedPak, the committee which recommends Medicare payment changes to Congres has recently suggested that in order to move more providers off of fee for service there […]
Today the Innovation Center announced a new initiative – the Innovation Advisors Program. Innovation Advisors will support the Innovation Center in testing new models of care delivery, use their knowledge and skills in their organization in pursuing the three-part aim, work with local organizations and groups to drive delivery system reforms, and gather new ideas […]
Budgets are the nemesis of almost everyone in healthcare. This blog post from HBR highlights how Group Health of Puget Sound and ThedaCare eliminated them. We all know that budgets are obsolete the minute after they have been completed. So why hasn’t any healthcare organization gotten rid of this wasteful activity. Actually, Park Nicolet in […]
Recently, one of the Healthcare Value Network member CEOs asked a series of world renowned Lean experts what they felt the most important leadership behaviors are in a lean organization. Here is what Paul O’Neill had to say. Dear Dr. , Here is my prescription for Leadership for any organization interested in achieving habitual […]
The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Innovation released the following initiative which appears promising as a way to further payment reform. CMS, through its Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, has announced its next opportunity for partnership between private payers, Medicaid, and Medicare. Known as the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative, this solicitation has some exciting […]
The Joint Commission published an article by Kim Barnas, VP at ThedaCare regarding her work in developing the lean management system at ThedaCare. I have done gemba (going to where value is created for the patients) at 91 hospitals in nine countries, most recently in the Netherlands. Each time I see a lot of energy and […]
The Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Center (CMMI) announced a new payment program which is focused on acute care episodes paying providers a single fee for all the services required to deliver a patient’s care episode. Yesterday the Innovation Center announced they are willing to partner with health systems and conveners of multiple health systems to […]
Don Berwick, CMS director, visited western Wisconsin on Thursday August 18th touting the low cost high quality care La Crosse, Black River Falls and the Eau Claire communities have achieved. Coming off the heels of Dr. Richard Gilfillan’s visit to Appleton last month Wisconsin is getting a lot of attention for leadership in clinical care […]
The Healthcare Value Network members visited the University of Michigan Medical Center the end of July. We saw good evidence of the application of the lean methodology in patient care. We also learned how they are changing medical education to instill continuous improvement principles and practices. A chief resident who is trained as a lean […]
The following is a letter Dr. Dean Gruner CEO of ThedaCare, sent to all employees and physicians recently. It is inspired by Paul O’Neill and his quest for zero defects in healthcare. CEO Update July 2011 Final
