Press
Release
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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