As our nation’s healthcare system continues its difficult journey of transforming care delivery and value-based payment, CHOIR continues to inform policy and practice. Leeann Comfort, Ph.D. candidate, led an AHRQ-funded research study published in Health Services Research that focuses on the performance of accountable care organizations (ACOs). Using a national survey of ACOs, we examined whether an empirically derived taxonomy of ACOs is associated with quality and spending performance among patients of ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). We found that ACOs of diverse structures perform comparably on core MSSP quality and spending measures and conclude that CMS should maintain its flexibility and continue to support participation of diverse ACOs.
CHOIR also continues to advance research focused on organizational influences on patient engagement. As part of our Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute funded project, Dr. Susan Ivey led a research study recently published in Medical Care examining the role of patient activation and engagement on patient-reported outcomes among patients with chronic illness and co-morbid mental health conditions. Patients receiving care from practices with high patient-centered cultures reported better physical functioning compared with less patient-centered practices. We are in the thick of analyzing data from the new 2017/18 National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems (NSHOS), which focused on identifying the factors associated with the adoption and implementation of patient engagement and other organizational innovations in healthcare delivery.
Our Natural Experiments for Translation in Diabetes 2.0 (NEXT-D2) Network project examining the impact of the State Innovation Model Initiative on Diabetes Care is featured in a new overview article describing NEXT-D2 Network, highlighting the rigorous quasi-experimental methods used by the eight natural experiments being conducted. We anticipate sharing new publications from NEXT-D2 in the coming months.
Finally, we are very pleased to announce a robust schedule of presentation by faculty and our doctoral students at the 2018 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting in Seattle. Please join us if you are in Seattle!
Best wishes,
Stephen M. Shortell, Ph.D., MPH, MBABlue Cross of California Distinguished Professor of Health Policy and Management
Co-Director, Center for Healthcare Organizational and Innovation Research
Dean Emeritus, School of Public Health
Professor of Organization Behavior, Haas School of Business
Hector P. Rodriguez, Ph.D., MPH
Henry J. Kaiser Endowed Chair in Organized Health Systems
Chair, Faculty Group in Health Policy
Co-Director, Center for Healthcare Organizational and Innovation Research
Professor of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health