Health Care Innovation Awards: Georgia

Notes and Disclaimers:

• Projects shown may have also operated in other states (see the Geographic Reach)
• Descriptions and project data (e.g. gross savings estimates, population served, etc.) are 3 year estimates provided by each organization and are based on budget submissions required by the Health Care Innovation Awards application process.
• While all projects were expected to produce cost savings beyond the 3 year grant award, some may not achieve net cost savings until after the initial 3-year period due to start-up-costs, change in care patterns and intervention effect on health status.

EMORY UNIVERSITY (CENTER FOR CRITICAL CARE)

Project Title: “Rapid Development and Deployment of Non-Physician Providers in Critical Care”
Geographic Reach: Georgia
Funding Amount: $10,748,332
Estimated 3-Year Savings: $18,400,000

Summary: Emory University, in partnership with Philips Company and several regional medical centers including Saint Joseph’s Health System, Northeast Georgia Medical Center, East Georgia Regional Medical Center and Southern Regional Medical Center, received an award to hire more than 40 critical care professionals, including 20 nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA) who are training at Emory’s University Hospitals, Saint Joseph’s Hospital and Grady Memorial Hospital and deployed to undeserved and rural hospitals in Georgia. Additional training in the use of tele-ICU services for supervision of those NP and PA providers as well as for support of nurses and allied health personnel will reach an additional 400 clinical, technical and administrative support professionals who form the local hospital critical care teams. This innovative strategy will serve over ten thousand Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and aim to mitigate problems associated with the lack of critical care doctors in the region, improve access to quality health care, and lower costs associated with inefficient care and a lack of transport services which could save approximately $18.4 million over 3 years.

INNOVATIVE ONCOLOGY BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, INC.

Project Title: “Community oncology medical homes (COME HOME)”
Geographic Reach: Florida, Georgia, Maine, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas
Funding Amount: $19,757,338
Estimated 3-Year Savings: $33,514,877

Summary: Innovative Oncology Business Solutions, Inc., representing 7 community oncology practices across the United States received an award to implement and test a medical home model of care delivery for newly diagnosed or relapsed Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and commercially insured patients with one of the following seven cancer types: breast, lung, colon, pancreas, thyroid, melanoma and lymphoma. Cancer care is complicated, expensive, and often fragmented, leading to suboptimal outcomes, high cost, and patient dissatisfaction with care. Through comprehensive outpatient oncology care, including extended clinic hours, patient education, team care, medication management, and 24/7 practice access and inpatient care coordination, the medical home model will improve the timeliness and appropriateness of care, reduce unnecessary testing, and reduce avoidable emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Over a three-year period, Innovative Oncology Business Solutions will fill 115.6 new health care jobs, including positions for training specialists, data analysts, patient care coordinators, registered nurses, and licensed practical nurses, as well as for a finance manager and a compliance manager.

TransforMED

Project Title: "Multi-community partnership between TransforMED, hospitals in the VHA system and a technology/data analytics company to support transformation to PCMH of practices connected with the hospitals and development of “Medical Neighborhood”
Geographic Reach: Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia
Funding Amount: $20,750,000
Estimated 3-Year Savings: $52,824,000

Summary: TransforMED received an award for a primary care redesign project across 15 communities to support care coordination among Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH), specialty practices, and hospitals, creating “medical neighborhoods.” The project will use a sophisticated analytics engine, provided by a vendor, Phytel, to identify high risk patients and coordinate care across the medical neighborhood while driving PCMH transformation in a number of primary care practices in each community. Truly comprehensive care will improve care transitions and reduce unnecessary testing, leading to lower costs with better outcomes. TransforMED will work with VHA to capture learnings from leading performers. Cost trends will be identified via claims data using an analytic tool provided by a vendor, Cobalt Talon. Over a three-year period, TransforMED’s program will train an estimated 3,024 workers and create an estimated 22 jobs.

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM

Project Title: "Deep South Cancer Navigation Network (DSCNN)"
Geographic Reach: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee
Funding Amount: $15,007,263
Estimated 3-Year Savings: $49,815,239

Summary:

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center received an award extending a regional network of lay health workers to expand comprehensive cancer care support services through a five state region. Working through the participating UAB Health System Cancer Community Network associate sites, the program seeks to create a national model for improving the quality of cancer care while decreasing unnecessary hospital utilization and enhancing patient satisfaction.

The program, named “Patient Care Connect,” is designed to serve Medicare beneficiaries with complex or advanced stage cancers, including those with psycho-social barriers to appropriate care, many living in medically underserved inner city and rural communities. Each navigation team will include an RN site manager and specially trained non-clinical patient navigators. The navigation teams will focus on helping patients by providing information about their cancer treatment, empowering patients to make informed choices about their care, providing emotional support and problem-solving, assisting with overcoming common barriers to cancer treatment, and helping patients make wise use of healthcare resources.

It is expected that the program will result in a reduction in emergency room visits and unnecessary hospital utilization, earlier acceptance of palliative and hospice services, better adherence to evidence based care plans, and an improved overall quality of life for cancer patients.

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