Quality Improvement
Northeast Business Group on Health conducts several initiatives to improve health care quality, cost effectiveness, access and accountability. Our initiatives target health plans, hospitals and physicians — the entities with the greatest impact on health care delivery:
Health Plans
eValue8™. Offered in cooperation with the National Business Coalition on Health, eValue8™ is the nation’s leading, evidence-based tool for assessing and managing the quality of health care plans. eValue8 enables NEBGH members to assess the performance of health plans in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts, and make informed purchasing and benefits decisions. To learn more, click here.
eValue8 can be used in part to:
• Provide employers with assessments of health plans in the region, and designate the region’s “best-in-class” plans
• Determine what steps health plans are taking to improve the health of their members
• Identify steps health plans are taking to improve the healthcare delivery system
• Develop targeted strategies employers can use to make the most of their healthcare investments
New York Health Accountability Foundation. A public-private partnership dedicated to promoting transparency in the health care system, the Foundation was launched by NYBGH and IPRO, and publishes an annual report card reviewing health care cost and quality in the metro region. To learn more, click here.
Physicians
The New Jersey Quality of Care Project. Northeast Business Group on Health is assessing primary care physicians in the Garden State by aggregating data from all major New Jersey health plans. This approach allows us to develop a more comprehensive assessment than data derived from a single plan.
Physicians receive data comparing their performance to their colleagues in NJ and nationwide to improve quality and close gaps in care. They are also provided a list of patients from all participating plans that have not received critical services, such as screening and treatment for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other chronic illnesses, and are encouraged to follow up and provide these patients with the necessary care.
Mental Health Task Force. The Task Force focuses on the impact of mental health issues on employee health and productivity. The current project, “One Voice,” is a multi-stakeholder effort aimed at improving screening and treatment for depression by primary care physicians. Read our One Voice Project Executive Summary.
Physician Advisory Council. Northeast Business Group on Health brings together many of the regions leading physicians to review our initiatives, and develop new approaches to assessing and improving health care quality and value. The Council provides our members with the clinician’s perspective on such healthcare challenges as managing chronic diseases, reducing employee absenteeism, and improving the patient experience.
The Patient Experience Project. Northeast Business Group on Health has teamed up with Consumers CHECKBOOK to survey patients about their recent doctors visits. The survey focuses on the way that the physicians communicated information, listened, and other patient-experience issues. The results will provide consumers with valuable information when choosing a physician. Providers receive important feedback on customer service issues. Currently, this initiative is being piloted in Manhattan, and may be rolled out across the region in the near future.
Hospitals
Leapfrog. The Leapfrog Hospital Survey is the gold standard for comparing hospital performance to benchmarks on safety, quality, and efficiency. Hospitals that participate in The Leapfrog Hospital Survey achieve hospital-wide improvements that translate into millions of lives and dollars saved. Employers use survey results to inform their employees and purchasing strategies.
Northeast Business Group on Health is playing a leadership role in this effort, both nationally and locally. This year, NEBGH invited 128 hospitals in New York and Connecticut to participate. To learn more, click here.
Surgical Site Infection Project. Patients with surgical site infections (SSIs) are hospitalized longer and are more likely to be readmitted, end up in the intensive care unit, and die from complications after surgery.
The burden of SSIs on the healthcare system, employers, employees and families is staggering. Yet up to 60% of these infections are thought to be preventable.
Northeast Business Group on Health is partnering with North Shore-Long Island Jewish Hospital, the Jefferson School of Population Health, and other stakeholders to develop patient-centered approaches to educate employers and employees and prevent surgical site infections.
