The John J. Mahoney MD Award for Community Health Value Innovation has been created to recognize the amazing lifetime of population health improvement from the Center’s Chief Medical Officer, Jack Mahoney.  Jack, a co-founder of the Center and the Strategic Health Initiatives consultant to Pitney Bowes (he was the medical director that developed the iconic value-based designs for the company), has been tireless in sharing innovation and learnings with communities of all sizes.  To honor this work, we are calling for applications from MULTI-STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATIVES of 5000 covered lives or more to apply for the grant. Download the application here.  Mahoney Award App FINAL

February 2, 2010 was our third birthday, and what a celebration was had!  We’ll be updating this post and adding more, but here are a few highlights for you:

JOHN J. MAHONEY MD AWARD for community health innovation was announced.  Polishing Jack’s star is hardly necessary, yet we created this award to expand the concepts and innovations in value-based benefit design that has made Jack the icon that he is.  For those who don’t know, Jack is a co-founder of the Center, serves as our Chief Medical Officer, and still spends a great deal of his time at Pitney Bowes and the Florida Business Health Coalition.  Pitney is where Jack created the first value-based benefit design–but what most don’t know is that it was focused on behavioral health  Rosenheck, Yale Pitney Bowes study EAP A surprise to Jack, this award is an innovator’s dream:  a Pay-it-Forward award.  Initial funding came through an educational grant from Johnson and Johnson Health Care Services, then the Center matched the funds.  Now, multi-stakeholder collaboratives within a community can apply for the $40,000 award and the Center will provide oversight, training, and suggest innovative technology that will fuel value-based benefit designs.  BUT THERE IS MORE:  The community that wins the award must contribute $40,000 into the award “pot” so that the next community that applies will get the same oversight, etc., as the first–that’s the cool Pay-It-Forward concept, and it’s just how Jack works!  He shares openly on his learnings, his experiences, and his challenges.  For more on the award, Mahoney Award App FINAL Dr. Cathy Baase of Dow, medical director for Dow, a member of our Board and an expert in community health improvement, will chair the judging committee–all applications must be received electronically at the Center no later than May 31, 2010.

Michael Taylor MD (Chairman of our Board) and Wayne Burton MD (new Strategic Advisor and Master of Ceremonies for the Award announcement) were nothing short of stellar at the Board Meeting.  You know Dr. Burton as the former Medical Director of JPMorgan Chase (and, before that, BankOne) and the research guru of Health and Productivity Management.  Mike, of course, is the Medical Director for Health Promotion for Caterpillar.  Over 80 people attended our Celebration and we inducted new members into the Fellows of the Center as well (more to follow later). Other luminaries included not only our Board of Directors, but also Mike Critelli (former CEO of Pitney Bowes and now the Chair of Dossia and the Dossia Foundation), Tom Parry (President of the Integrated Benefits Institute), Ron Loeppke MD (Chair of IBI, head of ACOEM’s HPM subgroup, and, now the President of US Preventive Medicine), Andy Webber (President of the National Business Coalition on Health), Tracey Moorhead and Jeanette May of DMAA: the Care Continuum Alliance (Tracey is President and Jeanette is VP of Research), Judy Cahill (Executive Director of AMCP), Sally Greenberg (Executive Director of National Consumer League) and Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former US Surgeon General and now a mainstay in our board meetings–she provides the inspiration close to the hard work we are all doing together.

Finally, at the Annual Meeting we launched the brand new survey that we commissioned from Buck Consultants (Michael Jacobs, National Practice Leader for Buck, is now on our Board of Directors).  Our goal was to survey experienced companies for their view of value-based benefit designs.  Key learnings:  87% use the VBD approach for prevention and wellness, 60% for chronic care management, and 26% for guidance in care delivery.  Most important learnings:  engage the employees faster AND make sure to engage the physicians/pharmacists/clinicians sooner.  CHVI-BUCK VBD 2009 FINAL- Report

We’ll be posting more here, but, as I head off to the IBI-NBCH meeting in San Antonio, I was determined to get the highlights up so you could all share!  Stay tuned, there is SO much more that we’re doing.

Be well,

Cyndy

KEEP UP TO DATE ON OUR PROGRESS!  It’s a spooktacular evening here in Florida, and it’s a great night to reflect on some of the amazing activities we’ve been involved in over the past 45 days.  The book launch, the visit to Michigan, the travels across the US, and the ever-watchful eye on Capitol Hill have kept me busy.  Your outreach to us and your comments on the website have been wonderful, so thank you.  Here’s an update on some of our events and productions:

• THE book launch (was there another?) of Leveraging Health was a smashing success.  With a Board Strategy session on the evening of September 29 in DC, we once again committed, as a group of renegades and action figures, to move the dial for improved health and community outcomes by driving the value of every health dollar invested.  Over 20 of our board directors and guests gathered to receive their copy of the book, Leveraging Health, and to celebrate the Center’s success in our first book launch. The next day we gathered early at the National Press Club to showcase the leadership of the Center, the authors of the book, and to answer any questions from the press.  Ray Zastrow MD (QuadMed/ Quad Graphics and VP of the Center) assumed the chairman’s role (Mike Taylor MD was across the country) and each of our vice presidents and officers spent time detailing their commitment to the Center and the communities in which they live.  Heartfelt thanks to all of you who traveled far and near to join us.  Watch for pictures of the event!  To date, over 1200 copies of the book are in the marketplace, and more orders are coming in.
• After a very successful meeting with colleagues from Integrated Benefits Institute and American College of Occupational and Environment Health, we developed a strategy for working together on driving health, productivity, and outcomes measures across our 3 organizations.  We are launching a 1/2 day HPM-VBD design seminar focused towards employers, consultants, and medical directors, and we welcome your inquiries on this new seminar. Many thanks to Mike Taylor MD (Chair) and Jack Mahoney MD (CMO) for joining me for a lively discussion with leaders from around the country.
• From South Dakota to Cinicnatti, from Michigan to DC to Florida, each day we are uncovering new innovations in value-based designs.  Folks may be beginning the journey, in which case they are considering the best options to drive and the behaviors to support.  Or, they may have multiple years of experience (we are learning more each day, categorizing all the levers, and beginning to quantify similar outcomes) and they are sharing their roadmaps, their successes and challenges, and their next innovation.  Watch for more details
• Dr. Mark Fendrick and I, unbeknownst to each other, presented to Michigan legislators last week, speaking passionately about our evidence across multiple sectors and sizes, and promoting the concepts to the various groups with whom we spoke.
• A great meeting of innovators in Battle Creek, delivering updates on the data-to-date and next steps to improve outcomes.  Hats off to Ruth Clark and Dr. Mary Ellen Benzik of IHP, Bill Greer of Kellogg, the folks at BCBSM and Priority Health, and the total Learning Collaborative for the work they are doing and the value-based designs that they are implementing.
• On the evidence and academic side, many of us have been presenting new stats on the impact of value-based design to overcome the cost/concern/ commitment barriers inherent in non-adherence.  Chris has been all over the globe, Mike and Peter are traversing the US, Ray and Kavita have been quantifying and spreading the word, and Bob Kritzler has represented the Center nobly and proficiently at Capitol events and behind closed doors.  Jack just returned from Boston, I just returned from Philadelphia and I’m off to Chicago and California.  The latest survey from Towers Perrin (Sep 2009) shows that 49.5% of employers now have a VBD in place for pharmaceutical coverage.  Our next mountain top:  behavior change support.
• And speaking of surveys, we need your help.  We entered into a shared survey with Buck Consultants and it launches on Nov 3.  We are asking employers of all sizes who have had a value-based design for more than 2 years to answer some quick questions for us, and we’ll report them publicly at the Health and Human Capital meeting in Feb in DC.
• Finally, mark your calendars for the annual board meeting at the Health and Human Capital event, Feb 2, starting at 12 noon in DC.  More info to follow.  This is an open board meeting, so, member or not, you are welcome to attend.

There’s so much more to share, so watch this space and the website often to learn more.  Let us know your thoughts on what’s next in policy change, what you need for evidence and measures for impact, and what new ideas you may have.

You can see that we’ve all been hustling to grow the Center and its influence.  We can’t do it without you.  Write, phone, or email when you can.  Yes, it’s a bit weary-ing, all this talk of reform, options, and costs.  Our goal is to create a dialogue with you that is open and informative, sharing innovations and concepts as they develop.  We’re hoping you will contribute to the knowledge base.  Right now, however, I have to go rescue my family from the spooky chocolates that have captured them…Happy Halloween and stay healthy!!

Cyndy

Read the PR release jointly issued by the Center and Center for VBID here.  Release re MI Testimony October 22

Read Cyndy’s testimony here  C Nayer Testimony before Michigan House Committee

Read Mark’s testimony here Fendrick Testimony to Michigan 10.22