CBIA, other Connecticut employers endorse value-driven health care initiative

Value-driven health care initiative

CBIA, Xerox, CIGNA, Aetna, United Health Group and the New England Council have signed a statement of support for a value-driven health care initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The initiative is a nationwide effort urging employers to commit to four “cornerstone” goals to improve health care quality and reduce health costs by improving information in the health care sector.

The four “cornerstone” goals involve:

Standards for connecting health information technology, making it possible to share patient health information securely and seamlessly among health care providers.

Quality-of-care reporting, so that health care providers and the public can learn how well each provider delivers care.

Providing costs of health services in advance, so that when patients choose routine and elective care, they can make comparisons on the basis of both quality and how much of the total cost they will have to pay under their health plan.

Providing incentives for quality care at competitive prices, as in payments to providers based on the quality of their services, or insurance options that reward consumers for choosing on the basis of quality and cost.

Private employers are the largest source of health coverage for Americans. If a significant number of employers commit to the four goals, common standards for health IT, quality measurement and cost reporting would quickly become the standard throughout the health care system, HHS says.

Standards to measure quality and cost will be developed through consensus processes involving stakeholders from throughout the health care sector. In particular, standards for measuring quality of care will be led by the medical community, according to HHS.

An employer committing to the four “cornerstone” goals would collect quality and price information through its health plan or benefits administrator, using the consensus standards. Employers committing to the goals would also be encouraged to share quality and price information with regional collaboratives. The collaboratives could aggregate information from many sources, thus producing the most broad-based and reliable information possible. The employer or its health plan would share quality information with enrollees in the plan, and would provide information on costs, including the specific costs the enrollee would expect to pay under the plan.

More information about value-based health care is available at www.hhs.gov/transparency.