Welcome to IHA’s first 2023 Stakeholders’ Series newsletter, a biannual communication to bring you updates on IHA and industry-wide news and events. The Stakeholders’ Series is IHA’s outreach program that includes more than 400 stakeholders from health plans, provider organizations, health systems, purchasers, policymakers, and other healthcare stakeholders.
In this issue, read about how the industry uses data from IHA’s California Healthcare Cost & Quality Atlas to answer healthcare cost and quality questions, a recent Senate Finance Committee meeting on provider directory data, and a recap of our Health Policy Update webinar on June 20, 2023.
Did you know? 2021 Atlas results
Is risk-sharing associated with better care and lower costs in measurement year 2021? What noteworthy healthcare performance trends have occurred over the past 5 years?
Find answers to these questions and more from IHA’s 2021 Atlas results. The Atlas is a trusted statewide source for comparative healthcare performance information. The publicly available tool looks at more than two dozen clinical quality, hospital utilization, and cost of care metrics to understand performance in regions across the state.
The Atlas is a valuable resource to help health plans, providers, purchasers, policymakers, and consumers compare the quality and cost of care to Californians. Users can access the interactive web tool to compare year-over-year results and results across insurance types, regions, and provider risk-sharing categories. The 2021 results are based on 14 million commercial and 2 million Medicare Advantage members.
Throughout the year, we’ll share key insights from the 2021 Atlas results through our newsletters and social media channels. Learn more about the Atlas and explore the 2021 findings.
Atlas data informs research on public option health plan
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, turned to the Atlas to make a case for a public option health plan called Golden Choice. Using Atlas data, the team assessed the competitive impact of Golden Choice on premiums in Covered California’s 19 markets and found that the plan would offer the lowest premiums in the majority of regions.
Jeff Rideout, MD, testifies at U.S. Senate hearing on provider directory accuracy
In May, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing to talk about improving mental health provider directories to reduce outdated and inaccurate information.
IHA President and CEO Jeff Rideout, MD, MA, FACP, discussed the complexity for provider organizations of verifying hundreds of data elements for multiple health plans. He told senators about work underway in California to improve provider directory accuracy through Symphony. He shared how Symphony serves as a central data repository with standardized and prioritized data sets, enabling providers to attest once for multiple plans.
The committee also heard testimony from the president of the American Medical Association, a practicing psychiatrist, a mental health advocacy group representative, and a patient who experienced first-hand challenges in finding a mental health provider.
Health Policy Update webinar covers legislative updates, Office of Health Care Affordability, and more
IHA held a Health Policy Update webinar on June 20, the first event in its 2023 Stakeholders’ Series. During the 90-minute event, speakers shared legislative and policy updates, perspectives on the Office of Health Care Affordability, and an update on initiatives to improve provider directory accuracy.
A legislative and policy session updated attendees on a proposal to reinstate a managed care organization tax, a universal healthcare coverage bill, and a medical group financial transparency bill. The session also included updates on the California Health and Human Services Data Exchange Framework; the Department of Managed Health Care’s new health equity and quality measures; and CalAIM, the Department of Health Care Services’ commitment to providing more equitable, coordinated, and person-centered care to Medi-Cal members.
A panel discussion on the Office of Health Care Affordability featured a panel of industry leaders, consumer advocates, and state regulators. They shared their perspectives on what is required to develop a more transparent, equitable, and affordable healthcare system and how current developments and initiatives are working to make that possible. The webinar concluded with activities underway to improve provider directory accuracy.
If you missed the webinar or would like to replay a session, the recording and slides are now available.
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