The BTE programs are designed to provide incentives that reward physicians and practices for adopting better systems of care that result in physician practice reengineering, the adoption of health information technology and delivering good outcomes to patients. Creating meaningful incentives for physicians will encourage them to focus on the hard task of reengineering and ultimately improvement.

Physicians and their office practices are eligible to receive BTE program rewards if they:

• Play the role of primary caregiver  for BTE eligible patients as identified by Bridges to Excellence based on physician to patient attribution data supplied by the participating health plans on behalf of participating purchasers.
• Demonstrate high levels of performance in BTE program content areas by obtaining passing scores on Performance Assessment Organizations' (PAOs) physician performance measures programs.

BTE Programs

Physician Office Link (POL)

Enables physician office sites to qualify for bonuses based on their implementation of specific processes intended to reduce errors and increase quality. A report card for each physician office describes its performance on the program measures and is made available to the public.

Enables physicians to achieve two-year recognition for high performance in diabetes care. The program offers a suite of products and tools to help diabetic patients get engaged in their care, achieve better outcomes, and identify local physicians that meet the high performance measures.

Enables physicians to achieve two-year recognition for high performance in cardiac care. The program offers a suite of products and tools to help cardiac patients get engaged in their care, achieve better outcomes, and identify local physicians who meet the high performance measures.

Spine Care Link (SCL)

Enables physicians to achieve two-year recognition for high performance in spine care.  The program offers a suite of products and tools to help back pain patients get engaged in their care, achieve better outcomes, and identify local physicians who meet the high performance measures.

BTE Medical Home

Enables physicians to achieve two-year recognition for a combination of BTE programs, demonstrating that they have adopted really good systems and processes of care, and are using those systems to deliver positive results in the management of their patients.

Depression Care Management Link (DCML)

Enables physicians to achieve two-year recognition for high performance in depression care management. The BTE DCML pilot program is being sponsored by the Buyers Health Care Action Group (BHCAG) and is based closely upon the work and effort of the DIAMOND project on depression care in Minnesota. The DIAMOND project is an effort develop by the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement to change the way in which depression care is delivered and paid for. It is an evidence-base collaborative care model for managing depression.