Improving Diabetes Prevention and Management

Project Title

Developing a Statewide Diabetes Care Physician Incentive Program Among Payers

Grant Amount

$257,717

Priority Area

Improving Diabetes Prevention and Management

Date Awarded

September 11, 2008

Region

Outside New York State

Status

Closed

Website

http://www.hci3.org/

SEE GRANT OUTCOMES

In 2008, NYHealth established a five-year, $35 million Diabetes Campaign to reverse the diabetes epidemic. The Campaign focuses on improving clinical care and patient outcomes; mobilizing communities to prevent diabetes and support diabetes self-management; and promoting policies that sustain comprehensive and effective care for people with diabetes. A range of demonstrations and studies show that patients have consistently better health outcomes when physicians improve their practices. Well-designed and standardized incentive payments have also been documented as motivating physicians to improving their practices. Yet in New York State, there is a lack of a common framework among payers for developing, measuring, or paying incentives. The Bridges to Excellence (BTE) grant supported the Foundation’s efforts to promote payment incentives for primary care physicians that would ultimately improve the quality of care delivered to patients at-risk for or diagnosed with diabetes.

New York State lacks a common framework among payers for developing, measuring, or paying incentives. Bridges to Excellence (BTE) will provide technical expertise to get the majority of payers in the State to pay incentives that will encourage primary care physicians to increase the quality of care they deliver to patients with diabetes.

Leveraging existing State and regional collaborative efforts, BTE will work with the New York Health Foundation to get payers to institutionalize incentive payments for a core set of physician performance measures for diabetes care. This will create a consistent set of incentives that will motivate physicians to improve care for patients with diabetes. The initiative will prioritize payers with the largest market share and capitalize on existing BTE partnerships.

Health Care Providers Improve Diabetes Care for Patients

A physician at Montefiore Medical Center, Dr. Rohit Bhalla strived to deliver superior care to his patients. When he and other health care providers had the opportunity to attain recognition from a national diabetes program, it was not only a chance to deliver excellent diabetes care and achieve good outcomes for patients, but also a way to transform a systemwide approach to care. Learn more.