Adirondack Health Institute (AHI) and its Performing Provider System (PPS) partners have received $891,000 in grant funding from the New York State Department of Health for the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program’s Project Design Grant. Funding will be used to increase the level of health care service integration necessary to better manage population health and embrace payment reform in nine Upstate New York counties. AHI is one of 42 grant awardees in the state.
“The North Country Health Systems Redesign Commission issued a report in April of this year describing our region’s health care system as ‘highly fragmented and centered on inpatient beds.’ To address this issue, AHI convened a Project Advisory Committee (PAC) which agreed early on that creating an integrated delivery system would be the core focus of our project proposal,” explained Cathy Homkey, CEO, AHI. “We’re extremely pleased to receive this grant and excited to work with our numerous collaborators to develop a comprehensive and successful health care integration plan. The award reflects the confidence that the State has in the ability of our region’s hospitals, primary care, and other providers to work collaboratively.”
Homkey went on to say that AHI continues to encourage interested organizations to join the effort. “The PAC is growing by bringing aboard partners to represent the workforce component of this initiative, which will be coordinated by the Hudson Mohawk Area Health Education Center, a partner of AHI,” said Homkey. “As we move forward, we hope to bring other key stakeholders aboard.”
“In order for the system to succeed, it needs to provide access to high-quality primary care, behavioral health services, and substance abuse treatment, and we need to better coordinate and manage care across these settings. We also need to focus on when and where care is delivered to address the over-reliance on inpatient beds noted by the Commission,” said Colleen Florio, PhD, Director of Care Management Initiatives and Evaluation, AHI. “As such, our project, among other areas of focus, will concentrate on integrating care and providing more community-based options and supports. We look forward to building healthy communities and helping our partners succeed under payment reform.”
The project will be implemented by partners in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Saratoga, St. Lawrence, Warren and Washington counties.
