Regional and state health care professionals, business, government and community-based organization leaders, and other key stakeholders explored and discussed innovative approaches to rural health care delivery in the Adirondack region at AHI’s recently-held 2016 Annual Summit. Approximately 200 individuals, from nine North Country counties and beyond, attended Innovative Approaches to Rural Health Care, held in Lake Placid.
Keynote speaker Jason Helgerson, New York State Medicaid Director, discussed the value-based payment model and Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program and the opportunity the program provides to transform health care delivery. “DSRIP is a major effort to collectively and thoroughly transform the New York State Medicaid health care delivery system,” stated Helgerson. “Building upon the success of the MRT (Medicaid Redesign Team), the goal is to collectively create a high-quality and financially sustainable care delivery system.”
A group of expert panelists shared differing perspectives on how the transition to value-based payment will impact the North Country’s health care system and discussed some of the issues and challenges they have experienced throughout this transition. Moderated by Marc Berg, MD, PhD, KPMG, panelists included Elizabeth Buck, MD, Adirondack Internal Medicine & Pediatrics, William Jessee, MD, Integrated Healthcare Strategies, Jared Sender, MD, Fidelis Care, and D. Tucker Slingerland, MD, Hudson Headwaters Health Network.
“It is an exciting and challenging time as the health care landscape continues to change and evolve at a rapid pace in our rural region and across the nation. Community collaborators in our nine-county service area are presently involved in a variety of groundbreaking initiatives to fundamentally restructure the health care delivery system,” said Margaret Vosburgh, CEO, AHI. “Tackling what’s to come will be particularly challenging given the expansive, remote nature of the region we cover. This year’s summit was timely and provided a welcomed opportunity to network, learn and share ideas to keep us moving forward in our efforts to ensure every individual in our region reaches their full potential and lives a healthy life.”
Other topics explored at the event included:
Georges Potworowski, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health Care Management, University at Albany’s School of Public Health, discussed leveraging research evidence and local expertise to transform primary care into a Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH).
Chris Arnold, Substance Abuse Counselor, Behavioral Health Services North, Josh Sorin, Manager, Government Health Care Transformation, KPMG, and Ken Thayer, Emergency Department Nursing Director, The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, discussed the Medicaid Accelerated eXchange (MAX) program, with a particular focus on an initiative to reduce emergency department high utilizers.
John Justino, Director, Center for Global Health at the University at Albany, and Cheryl McGrattan, Vice President, Marketing, Communications and Community Relations, Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home, shared best practices and success stories related to using social marketing to engage patients and communities.
Visit AHI Summit for more details.
