| California
Blue Puts Its Money Where Its Mouth Is
Blue Shield of California continues to walk the
walk,
paying out $29.6 million in bonuses to medical groups and IPAs in
California, based on performance.
The money rewarded those medical groups and IPAs
for
high achievement and improvement are in areas that Blues’
members
care the most about – key clinical and patient experience
metrics.
Since the launch of its P4P program in 2003, Blue
Shield
of California has awarded more than $78 million to providers. They said
their program has improved the health of its members, such as
increasing Chlamydia screenings by nearly 50 percent, HbA1c control for
diabetic patients by 64.4 percent, and colorectal cancer screenings by
53 percent.
The money reinforces the Blues commitment to
access and
high quality care, said Juan Davila, senior vice president of network
management for the Blues. "Participating in the pay-for-performance
program allows us to encourage best practices from physicians, control
the rising cost of healthcare, and ensure members receive access to the
care they need," he added.
The largest portion of the money – $12.5
million
– went to the Integrated Healthcare Association’s
(IHA) P4P
program.
Another $9.6 million was awarded under Blue
Shield’s Performance Improvement Rewards Program, which
recognizes and rewards medical groups and IPAs for effectively managing
emergency room visits, outpatient surgeries, inpatient bed days and
generic drug utilization. The remaining $7.5 million was awarded for
shared savings and other incentive programs
Blue Shield of California is also working with
those
medical groups that fell below average in their clinical scores to help
them improve their performance.
For more information on Blue Shield of California,
visit www.blueshieldca.com.
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