The California-based Integrated Healthcare Association has been awarded a three-year, $2.9 million grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The grant will allow IHA to test bundled episode payments for physicians, hospitals and other providers.
"Episode payment is an idea that is worth experimenting with, and one that needs to be tried," said Ronald Kaufman, MD, chief medical officer of Tenet Healthcare California/Nebraska Region, a member organization of IHA, in the press release announcing the grant. "It's challenging to implement this payment methodology in the setting of community hospitals with independent physicians in California. Participation in the IHA pilot gives us the opportunity to work through the medical care and financial risk management and administrative issues in a collaborative environment with others interested in improving healthcare quality and efficiency."
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The grant will allow IHA to expand statewide a small pilot project funded by the California HealthCare Foundation in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The expansion eventually will include physician organizations, such as HealthCare Partners and St. Joseph Heritage Healthcare; hospitals, such as Cedars-Sinai, Mission Hospital and St. Jude Medical Center; and health plans, such as Blue Shield California and HealthNet.