NATIONAL BUSINESS COALITION ON HEALTH AND LOCAL COALITIONS LAUNCH BRIDGES TO EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE

WASHINGTON - To move value-based physician pay-for-performance incentive programs forward, the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH), a non-profit organization of employer-based health coalitions, announced that it has selected four of its member organizations as Bridges to Excellence demonstration sites. The sites are part of an overall NBCH physician incentive program implemented through a partnership with the Bridges to Excellence coalition, a group of large employers supporting physician pay-for-performance efforts around the country.

Bridges to Excellence creates market incentives for physicians to follow best practices, which will yield better outcomes and reduced costs. The NBCH Bridges to Excellence initiative was launched in July 2004 with financial support from Aventis and Novo Nordisk. The program assists local business coalitions in taking a leadership role in recognizing and rewarding health care providers who demonstrate that they deliver performance-based, efficient and effective care.

"Because they can coordinate the action of many employers, local business coalitions are well-suited to create market incentives for improved health care quality and value," said Andrew Webber, president and CEO of NBCH. "Business coalitions are critical in our efforts to promote Bridges to Excellence in new markets and this project provides a means to restructure the health care reimbursement system that rewards performance-focused activities. "

The four business coalitions selected as demonstration sites are:

· Employers' Health Coalition, Fort Smith, Arkansas
· Tri-State Health Care Coalition, Quincy, Illinois
· Heartland Healthcare Coalition, Peoria, Illinois
· Colorado Business Group on Health, Denver, Colorado

"With the addition of these new markets, Bridges to Excellence becomes the largest national pay-for-performance program, and will positively impact millions of Americans in urban and rural communities," said Francois de Brantes, president of Bridges to Excellence.

Working with these four coalitions, NBCH will develop and implement strategies to promote the adoption of Bridges to Excellence tenets by both local employers and physicians. The lessons learned and experience gained in these markets will assist other business coalitions in implementing this physician incentive program in the future.

About Bridges to Excellence
The Bridges to Excellence coalition is a not-for-profit organization created to encourage significant leaps in the quality of care by recognizing and rewarding health care providers who demonstrate that they deliver safe, timely, effective, efficient and patient-centered care. In addition to NBCH, Bridges to Excellence participants include large employers, health plans, the National Committee for Quality Assurance, MEDSTAT and WebMD Health, among others. The organizations are united in their shared goal of improving health care quality through measurement, reporting, rewards and education. Additional information is available at www.bridgestoexcellence.org.

About the National Business Coalition on Health
NBCH is a national, non-profit, membership organization of nearly 80 employer-based health care coalitions, representing over 10,000 employers across the United States. NBCH and its members are dedicated to value-based purchasing of health care services through the collective action of public and private purchasers. In developing, identifying and disseminating best practices in value-based purchasing strategies, NBCH seeks to accelerate the nation's progress towards safe, efficient, high quality health care. For more information, call
202-775-9300 or visit www.nbch.org.

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