Primary Care

Grantee Name

Healthcare Educational and Research Fund, Inc. / Healthcare Association of New York State

Funding Area

Primary Care

Publication Date

July 2017

Grant Amount

$53,059

Grant Date:

June 2015 – December 2015

Despite federal and State efforts to incorporate payment reform—including value-based reimbursement models—into the health care system, adoption has been slow.

The majority of payments in the commercial and Medicaid markets are still made on a fee-for-service basis, and alternative methods, such as bundled or capitated payments, are underused. Well-resourced health care providers are often better placed to transition to new payment mechanisms, whereas smaller institutions may lack the expertise and capacity to take the first steps.

In 2015, NYHealth awarded a grant to the Healthcare Educational and Research Fund, on behalf of the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), to host an all-day symposium for health care providers and other stakeholders to learn more about new payment models that support meaningful health care redesign.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

  • Hosted a symposium for 125 leaders of New York State hospitals, long-term care facilities, and other large and small health care institutions to discuss finance, quality, and care delivery issues, including payment reform efforts and challenges unique to New York State;
  • Organized panels of health care experts to share their perspectives on partnerships, care redesign, and financial challenges, with conference materials made available online;
  • Created a platform for attendees to share successes and challenges, learn from peer organizations that have adopted such reforms, and foster greater interest in testing new payment models; and
  • Conducted an evaluation survey of the symposium, in which more than 90% of participants said the conference was informative and helpful.

HANYS has continued to promote discourse on the adoption of new payment models, including through additional webinars and seminars on the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program and Medicare bundled payments. In April 2016, HANYS partnered with DataGen and the Association of American Medical Colleges to provide hospitals with financial strategies on adopting a new mandatory bundled payment model, Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement, which would have put 60% of New York State hospitals at financial risk. As a result, hospitals that received this assistance were able improve care efficiency and quality for Medicare beneficiaries undergoing hip and knee replacements.

Co-Funding and Additional Funds Leveraged: N/A