The NRHI High-Value Care SAN will leverage the experiences and successes of its regional health improvement collaborative (RHIC) member organizations to provide educational resources, tools, and technical assistance to clinicians through a variety of learning programs. The most updated learning program calendar can be found here.

The Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI) is a national organization of more than thirty-five member regional health improvement collaboratives (RHICs) across the United States. These multi-stakeholder organizations are working in their regions and collaborating across regions to transform the healthcare delivery system to improve the patient experience of care, including quality and satisfaction; improve the health of populations; and reduce the per-capita cost of healthcare.

 Regional health improvement collaboratives (RHICs) provide a neutral, trusted mechanism through which the community can plan, facilitate, and coordinate the many different activities required for successful transformation of its healthcare system.
For more information:
What are regional health improvement collaboratives (RHICs)?
Who are NRHI RHICs?

The Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative (TCPI) is one of the largest federal investments made to date to help clinician practices improve their care delivery through collaborative and peer-based learning networks that give them the tools, resources, and data to “transform” how they deliver healthcare.
In September 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) awarded $685 million to 39 national and regional collaborative healthcare transformation networks and supporting organizations, including the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI), to implement the initiative. The goal is to help more than 140,000 clinicians get the resources and support they need to:

• Improve the quality of their medical care
• Increase patients’ access to information, and
• Spend healthcare dollars more wisely.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and others are working to develop a healthcare system in the U.S. that delivers higher quality care at an affordable price. This transformed system would result in fewer unnecessary hospital admissions and readmissions and healthcare-associated infections, reduce patient harm, and lead to continuous quality and cost improvements and improved patient outcomes. Patients will confidently rely on the quality of care they receive from their health care team.

Twenty-nine Practice Transformation Networks which will provide technical assistance, quality improvement program design and implementation, and peer-level support to help clinicians provide patient-centric care efficiently. For example, network staff will help providers designate “coaches” within their practice to help patients with chronic diseases better manage their health. They may also help practices set up e-mail and patient portals to improve communication between providers and patients and integrate behavioral health services into practices.
Ten Support and Alignment Networks (SAN) will assist Practice Transformation Networks in improving the way they deliver care by providing technical assistance and support for integrating quality and process improvement, and by building on and existing change methodologies, practice transformation tools, published literature, and technical assistance programs.

As one of the 10 Support and Alignment Networks (SANs) that TCPi selected as a “High-Value Care” SAN to help implement the initiative, NRHI SAN will:

• Leverage the experience and successes of its regional healthcare improvement collaborative (RHIC) members to provide educational programs, tools, and technical assistance to the practice transformation networks worked with TCPi enrolled clinicians
• Leverage NRHI’s communication infrastructure and tools–including the HealthDoers Network, the HealthDoers online platform, NRHI’s newsletters, summits, and social media strategies-to assist with TCPi provider recruitment, promotion, and dissemination of learning
• Engage NRHI’s network of RHICs and their networks of employers, providers, consumers, and others to advance transformation and alternative payment methodologies.
• Promote and disseminate the TCPI resources and tools beyond the TCPi network to the broader NRHI member community

The NRHI SAN will connect NRHI member RHICs with PTNs in their regions to provide the vehicle for supporting transformation efforts on the ground. Three RHICs are leading Practice Transformation Networks, at least four RHICs are serving as sub-contractors to PTNs, and seven are involved in NRHI’s Support and Alignment Network.
Many PTNs will need RHICs’ consultation support and resources to assist with on-the-ground practice transformation activities. The RHICs understanding of local relationships and infrastructure and knowledge of the marketplace puts them in a unique position to provide support to the PTNs.
RHICs (and PTNs) can serve a vital role in helping practices change their workflows to incorporate the technical, data collection practices needed to report data to both payers (insurance companies), purchasers and state agencies. RHICs can become providers’ technical and data collection experts, and develop self-sustaining business models to create and analyze the data needed to transform healthcare going forward.

PTNs are peer-based learning networks designed to coach, mentor, and assist clinicians in developing core competencies required for practice transformation. This approach allows clinician practices to become actively engaged in the transformation process and ensures collaboration within a broad community of practices that creates, promotes, and sustains learning and improvement in a region’s healthcare system.

Congress passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) to create a healthcare system where payment will soon be based on the quality and cost of patient care. By joining TCPI, Providers will work with a local Practice Transformation Network and have access to learning programs and technical assistance offered through the NRHI High-Value Care SAN and others to be prepared for success in an environment transitioning to value-based payment. TCPI will help providers organize their practice around three overall management functions that will drive performance, quality, and business success:

• Person and Family-Centered Care Design
• Continuous, Data-Driven Quality Improvement
• Sustainable Business Operations

Practices interested in being a part of the TCPI effort should complete this form so we can connect you with the appropriate organization: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/nrhisan

Practice Transformation Network (PTNs) will conduct baseline and on-going evaluations of the practices as they move through the five phases of practice transformation.

• Phase 1: Set aims
• Phase 2: Use data to drive care
• Phase 3: Achieve progress on aims
• Phase 4: Achieve benchmark status
• Phase 5: Thrive as a business through Pay-for-Value approaches
  

Elizabeth Mitchell, President & CEO, Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement
Nancy Zionts, Chief Program and Operating Officer, Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative
Bruce Block, MD, Chief Learning and Medical Informatics Officer, Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative
Aleece Caron, PhD, Better Health Partnership
Kate Elliott, Program Director, HealthInsight Oregon
Ryan Brown, MPH, HealthInsight Utah
Lisa Tuttle, MPH, Program Director, Maine Quality Counts
Barbra Rabson, President & CEO, Massachusetts Health Quality Partners
Tony Weldon, Minnesota Community Measurement
Claire Neely, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement
NRHI’s formal partners in this work include:

• Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI)
• Minnesota Community Measurement (MNCM)
• Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative (PRHI)
• Massachusetts Health Quality Partners (MHQP)
• Maine Quality Counts (MQC)
• HealthInsight Oregon
• HealthInsight Utah
• Better Health Partnership

Elizabeth Mitchell, President & CEO
Stacy Donohue, Senior Director
Emily Levi, Project Manager
Casey Lancaster, Project Coordinator