Health Care Innovation Awards: Georgia
Notes and Disclaimers:
- Projects shown may also be operating in other states (see the Geographic Reach)
- Descriptions and project data (e.g. gross savings estimates, population served, etc.) are 3 year estimates provided by each organization and are based on budget submissions required by the Health Care Innovation Awards application process.
- While all projects are expected to produce cost savings beyond the 3 year grant award, some may not achieve net cost savings until after the initial 3-year period due to start-up-costs, change in care patterns and intervention effect on health status.
EMORY UNIVERSITY (CENTER FOR CRITICAL CARE)
Project Title: “Rapid Development and Deployment of Non-Physician Providers in Critical Care”
Geographic Reach: Georgia
Funding Amount: $10,748,332
Estimated 3-Year Savings: $18.4 million
Summary: Emory University, in partnership with Philips Company (a Tele-Intensive Care Unit contractor) and several medical centers including Saint Joseph’s Health System, Northeast Georgia Medical Center, and Southern Regional Medical Center, is receiving an award to hire more than 40 critical care professionals, including 20 nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA) who will be deployed to undeserved and rural hospitals in Northern Georgia. Training in the use of these tele-ICU services for supervision of those NP and PA providers as well as for support of nurses and allied health personnel will reach an additional 400 clinical, technical and administrative support professionals who form the local hospital critical care teams. This innovative strategy will serve over ten thousand Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and aim to mitigate problems associated with the lack of critical care doctors in the region, improve access to quality health care, and lower costs associated with inefficient care and a lack of transport services which could save approximately $18.4 million over 3 years.
INNOVATIVE ONCOLOGY BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, INC.
Project Title: “Community oncology medical homes (COME HOME)”
Geographic Reach: Florida, Georgia, Maine, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee
Funding Amount: $19,757,338
Estimated 3-Year Savings: $33,514,877
Summary: Innovative Oncology Business Solutions, Inc., representing 7 community oncology practices across the United States is receiving an award to implement and test a medical home model of care delivery for newly diagnosed or relapsed Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and commercially insured patients with breast, lung, or colorectal cancer. Cancer care is complicated, expensive, and often fragmented, leading to suboptimal outcomes, high cost, and patient dissatisfaction with care. Through comprehensive outpatient oncology care, including patient education, team care, medication management, and 24/7 practice access and inpatient care coordination, the medical home model will improve the timelines and appropriateness of care, reduce unnecessary testing, and reduce avoidable emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
Over a three-year period, Innovative Oncology Business Solutions will fill 115.6 new health care jobs, including positions for training specialists, data analysts, patient care coordinators, registered nurses, and licensed practical nurses, as well as for a finance manager and a compliance manager.
TransforMED
Project Title: "Multi-community partnership between TransforMED, hospitals in the VHA system and a technology/data analytics company to support transformation to PCMH of practices connected with the hospitals and development of “Medical Neighborhood”
Geographic Reach: Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Funding Amount: $20,750,000
Estimated 3-Year Savings: $52,824,000
Summary: TransforMED, in partnership with 12 VHA-affiliated hospitals throughout the county, is receiving an award for a primary care redesign project to support care coordination among Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH), specialty practices, and hospitals, creating “medical neighborhoods.” The project will use a sophisticated analytics engine to identify high risk patients and coordinate care across the medical neighborhood while driving PCMH transformation in a number of primary care practices in each community. Truly comprehensive care will improve care transitions and reduce unnecessary testing, leading to lower costs with better outcomes.
Over a three-year period, TransforMED’s program will train an estimated 3,024 workers and create an estimated 22 jobs. The new workers will include an innovation project manager, project control specialists, project managers, an implementation team, a project team, an integration architect, an application trainer, and a population health management advisor.
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
Project Title: "Deep South Cancer Navigation Network (DSCNN)"
Geographic Reach: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee
Funding Amount: $15,007,263
Estimated 3-Year Savings: $49,815,239
Summary: The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center are receiving an award extending a regional network of lay health workers to expand comprehensive cancer care support services through a five state region. Working through the participating UAB Cancer Care Network affiliate sites, these patient navigation teams will improve adherence to care plans and educate cancer survivors on healthy behaviors. The intervention is designed to serve Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries with complex or advanced disease and those with psycho-social barriers to appropriate care, many living in medically underserved inner city and rural communities. Each navigation team will include an RN site manager, health system navigators, community navigators, and a community educator. It is expected that the intervention will result in better adherence to evidence based care plans, reduced reliance on hospitals and emergency rooms for care, earlier acceptance of palliative and hospice services, and a better overall quality of life for cancer survivors.
Over a three-year period, UAB's program will train an estimated 150 lay health workers and create an estimated 56 new jobs. The new workforce will include community navigators, system navigators, data entry assistants, administrative assistants, community coordinators, Registered Nurse site managers, training managers, an evaluation and reporting manager, a communications and public relations manager, and an administrative director.
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER
Project Title: "Brookdale Senior Living (BSL) Transitions of Care Program"
Geographic Reach: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin
Estimated 3-Year Savings: $9,729,702
Funding Amount: $7,329,714
Summary: The University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC), in partnership with Brookdale Senior Living (BSL), is receiving an award to expand and test the BSL Transitions of Care Program which is based on an evidenced-based assessment tool called Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers (INTERACT) for residents living in independent living, assisted living and dementia specific facilities in Texas and Florida. In addition, community dwelling older adults who receive BSL home health services will be included in the Transitions of Care Program. Over the course of the award the program will expand to other states where BSL communities are located. The program will employ clinical nurse leaders (CNLs) to act as program managers. CNLs will train care transition nurses and other staff on the use of INTERACT and health information technology resources to help them identify, assess, and manage residents' clinical conditions to reduce preventable hospital admissions and readmissions. The goal of the program is to prevent the progress of disease, thereby reducing complications, improving care, and reducing the rate of avoidable hospital admissions for older adults.
Over a three-year period, the University of North Texas Health Science Center's program will train an estimated 10,926 workers and create an estimated 97 jobs for clinical nurse leaders and other health care team members.