IHI Issues Action Brief for Health Care Leaders in the Post-Election Era

Report outlines nine crucial elements for bridging the gap between “the care we have and the care we need”

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Institute for Healthcare Improvement:

“Out of the Blocks: An Action Brief for Health Care Leaders in the Post-Election Era”

WHAT:	A new report from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), “Out of the Blocks: An Action Brief for Health Care Leaders in the Post-Election Era,” outlines key findings, predictions and insights from some of the nation’s foremost quality improvement and policy experts. The 14-page action brief recaps proceedings from an event held in Washington, DC, just two days after the presidential election, that brought together more than 100 health care leaders to discuss election results, what they signaled for health reform, and the strategic priorities of US health care organizations.
	Co-chaired by IHI CEO Maureen Bisognano and IHI’s Board Chairman Dr. Gary Kaplan (Chairman and CEO of Virginia Mason Medical Center), and emceed by IHI Founder and former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Dr. Donald Berwick, the day also featured the insights of Former Senators Bill Frist and Tom Daschle.
	Key findings:
	• Health care providers must determine innovative ways to address the challenge of impending reimbursement cuts – and many are eager to reconfigure care in inventive ways to succeed within tighter budgets.
	• Providers must consider adjusting practice patterns, spanning solutions for both cutting costs and improving care – including the use of telemedicine, group appointments, social media and community campaigns.
	• Providers are becoming more open to payment reform and data transparency in exchange for looser regulation and more room to innovate – opening the door for a potential “grand bargain” between policy makers and provider organizations.
	• Revenue pressures are driving closer collaboration between physicians and managers, and between providers and payors – creating a more innovative environment to affect improvement.
	• There is concern that incompatible eligibility systems for new insurance exchanges and Medicaid will lead to confusion – the handoff and communication between the two programs will be critical to avoid gaps in coverage for citizens.
WHO:	IHI is a leading innovator in health and health care improvement worldwide. For more than 25 years, IHI has partnered with a growing community of visionaries, leaders, and front-line practitioners around the globe to spark bold, inventive ways to improve the health of individuals and populations.
WHEN:	Report will be released to the public at 9:00 am ET on December 12, 2012
WHERE:	Full report can be downloaded from: http://www.ihi.org/knowledge/Pages/Publications/OutOfTheBlocksAnActionBrief.aspx

About The Institute for Healthcare Improvement

IHI is a leading innovator in health and health care improvement worldwide. For more than 25 years, we have partnered with an ever-growing community of visionaries, leaders, and front-line practitioners around the globe to spark bold, inventive ways to improve the health of individuals and populations. Together, we build the will for change, seek out innovative models of care, and spread proven best practices. When it comes to raising the quality of health for all, IHI sees boundless possibilities and while we see the walls in front of us, we will not rest until we reach the other side. Learn more at ihi.org.