The Integrated Healthcare Association, which promotes quality improvement, accountability and affordability of healthcare in California, has named its top 45 performing physician organizations for 2009, based on the IHA’s statewide Pay for Performance program measures.
The IHA also presented awards to seven physician organizations in each P4P region that demonstrated the most quality improvement from 2008 to 2009.
The top 45 organizations were named from a list of 221 physician organizations in California. Both top performer and most-improved awards are based on performance in four P4P measurement domains: clinical quality, patient experience, information technology-enabled systems and coordinated diabetes care.
“P4P program results for measurement year 2009, the seventh year of the P4P program, showed continued modest improvement in most clinical measures compared to the prior year,” said Cindy Ernst, director of communications for the IHA. “Patient experience scores also showed a slight upward movement across all measures.”
Hill Physicians Medical Group in the Bay Region was the only physician organization to achieve both the top performer and most-improved awards for 2009.
"We're very pleased the hard work that goes on behind the scenes has a demonstrable effect on quality of care and overall member experience," said Steve McDermott, the medical group’s chief executive officer. "Our focus on timely, personalized care supported by technology and best practices is the right thing to do for the individual member, for the physician and for the overall health of the communities we serve."
Arch Health Partners of San Diego moved from being one of the most improved last year to a top performer this year. Based on its scores, Arch Health Partners will receive $260,000.
"Our vision focuses on coordinating quality medical care for our patients at all levels," said Stuart Graham, MD, a pediatrician and a board member. "At each opportunity, we emphasize education, prevention and patient satisfaction. We believe in personal relationship as the beginning of quality care and we empower our team to work with patients to individualize care for their needs."
Scores for the top performing physician organizations were calculated in each of the four P4P measurement domains, which were then weighted to compute a composite score.
The 2009 measurement results are also used by seven health plans – Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, CIGNA HealthCare of California, Health Net of California, Western Health Advantage and UnitedHealthcare – to calculate incentive payments for distribution to physician groups in 2010. Health plan incentive payments paid last year to physician organizations were $52 million as a result of meeting P4P measurement criteria for clinical quality, patient experience and information technology-enabled systems.
Bright Physicians;
Encompass Medical Group;
Hill Physicians Medical Group, Bay Region;
Hill Physicians Medical Group, Sacramento Region;
San Bernardino Medical Group;
St. Joseph Hospital Affiliated Physicians; and
Sutter Gould Medical Foundation