Regional health care professionals, community leaders, and a panel of local experts, explored the challenges and approaches associated with transforming the Adirondack/North Country-region into a high-performing integrated health system at AHI’s recently-held annual summit. More than 200 individuals attended Integrating Health Care in the Adirondacks in Lake Placid.
Creating an integrated health care delivery system centered on evidence-based medicine and population health management across the Adirondack region was the focus of this year’s event. A diverse and dynamic group of panelists — Karen Ashline, Adirondacks ACO; Annette Parisi, AHI; Dr. Brian McDermott, Glens Falls Hospital; Scott Momrow, Hixny; and Peter Trout, Clinton County Mental Health & Addiction Services; and moderator Hope Plavin, Innovation Center, NYS DOH – shared insights, best practices, and recommendations for transforming the region’s health care system.
Panelists emphasized a more patient-centered approach. “At the end of the day it’s about the patient. We try to measure the system, but should focus on the needs and successes of the patient,” stated McDermott. Ashline added that caregivers shouldn’t solely focus on individuals who enter the health care system, “We can track the patients who come to the ED (emergency department). It’s the individuals that we don’t know about who fall through the cracks,” she said. “We need to identify and support those individuals before they become chronically ill.”
“The health care landscape is ever-changing and new challenges for providing quality, easily-accessible and affordable care arise every day. The North Country is no exception and faces perhaps even more difficult care provision challenges because it is so vast and remote,” said Cathy Homkey, CEO, AHI. “It’s important AHI coordinates forums such as our summit, because it allows those involved in the process to hear from experts in order to collectively formulate a vision and game plan for insuring a healthy future for our region.”
Health care providers, administrators, business, government and association representatives, and other key stakeholders from nine North Country counties — Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Saratoga, St. Lawrence, Warren and Washington – attended the event.
Other topics explored at the event included:
- Jacob Reider, MD, Chief Strategy Officer, Kyron, Inc., an expert in health information technology policy, innovation, and strategy, discussed the rural impact of HIT in a morning keynote presentation;
- Gloria Kupferman, Vice President, DataGen, discussed patient-centered analytics to support care redesign and new payment models in an afternoon keynote presentation.
See the AHI Summit web page for links to presentations and presenter bios.
The summit is one of the many community services provided by AHI. For more than 25 years, we have used our relationships, resources, expertise, and capacity to provide technical assistance and value-added services. See What We Do for more information.
