We are pleased to announce that the Boards of Augusta Health and Augusta Care Partners have approved a second year of the Hospital Quality & Efficiency Program (HQEP)! As you may recall, HQEP is an agreement between Augusta Care Partners and Augusta Health designed to manage costs and improve quality for the health system. If goals are met, Augusta Care Partners is able to share in generated savings and distribute that “shared savings” via incentive payments to eligible network providers.
2017’s HQEP program had positive outcomes for both ACP and Augusta Health (see HQEP 2017 results for details). Over $307,000 will be distributed among 111 eligible providers as a result of 2017 performance, and we look forward to improving on that success in 2018!
ACP’s physician-led committees spent the last few months of 2017 considering how to improve on the HQEP Year 1 successes, identify additional opportunities for quality improvement and cost savings, and better align the incentive distribution requirements with the goals of the ACP network. This work has resulted in changes to both the measure set and the incentive requirements providers must meet in order to earn their portion of any shared savings.
2018 HQEP Metrics
We are currently working on a performance dashboard for the updated HQEP measure set, which will be available in next month’s issue. In the meantime, here is a brief overview of the metrics that have been chosen to generate cost savings and improve quality for the health system in 2018. In the coming weeks, you will begin to see information on initiatives designed to impact the below *new* measure set. Please stay tuned to learn more about how you can engage to positively impact our network performance!
*NEW* Streamlined Incentive Requirements
There are a few significant changes to the HQEP incentive distribution requirements for 2018. Most notably, APPs are now eligible to earn incentives in the program! Additional changes are detailed below. We will provide a provider-level incentive dashboard in future issues, so you will be able to see what requirements you need to meet to qualify.
If you have any questions or would like additional information on HQEP for 2018, please contact Mary Arrowood, Operations Manager, at marrowood2@augustahealth.com or (540) 292-6668.