September is Member Appreciation Month

Every September we try to do something special for our members. This year we will be at the beautiful Columbia Tower Club which has a panoramic 360 view of Seattle from the top of the 76 story, 937 foot tall Columbia Tower, the tallest building in Seattle. If we are lucky, the sky to the West will be clear and we will be able to watch the sun go down. The first drink is complementary.

Medical Home Project

Providers and payers in today’s health care system recognize that cost-conscious health management doesn’t simply mean having consulting nurses, health information websites, pre-certification requirements, patient advocates or other such interventions; a more comprehensive approach is required. Many organizations have begun to build or provide patients a "medical home" where their primary care providers (PCPs) dedicate more time and/or staff to keeping in contact with patients (via phone and e-mail) and to seeing them promptly when needed, so as to avoid unnecessary and costly specialist shopping, emergency room visits and hospitalizations. This presentation will discuss the goals of the medical home approach, resources needed to make it work, issues to be overcome, and results to date around the country.

Program outline:

• What is a "patient-centered medical home" and why is the development of medical homes important in today’s health care system?
  • Key drivers
  • Overarching goals and what is realistic to expect in the near term
• Why primary care docs can’t do it alone – what else needs to be done to make it work?
  • Payment reform
  • Consumer engagement
  • Health plan design
  • Employer involvement
• What are the barriers?
• Overview of Washington State’s Multi-payer Medical Home Payment Pilot
• Pilots Nationwide – What’s being tried and what are we learning?

The Presenters:

Susie Dade is Director of Performance Improvement at the Puget Sound Health Alliance.

Ms. Dade has worked in health care in Washington State since 1980. She has worked with the Puget Sound Health Alliance since early 2006. As the Alliance’s Director of Performance Improvement, she works to identify performance improvement opportunities and to stimulate and encourage system and practice changes that will result in improved delivery of care for patients with chronic disease and/or increased participation in prevention-related activities. As part of her work, Ms. Dade has been co-leading - with Washington State - the Multi-Payer Medical Home Payment Pilot that is being planned for our state.

From 1989 to 2005, Ms. Dade worked for Group Health Cooperative, serving for six years as an administrator for Group Health’s specialty services with ambulatory practices throughout the Puget Sound region. Ms. Dade also served for eight years as the administrative leader for Group Health’s medical group in King County. Prior to joining Group Health, Ms. Dade worked with the Central Seattle Community Health Centers to develop and manage federal and state grants that funded direct patient care at five neighborhood community health centers. During the 1980’s, Ms. Dade worked for eight years as a community health planner with the Southwest Washington and Puget Sound Health Systems Agencies. Ms. Dade has a Bachelor of Science in Health Planning and Administration and a Masters in Public Administration.

Mary Kay O'Neill, MD, MBA, is the Chief Medical Officer, Pacific Northwest Region for CIGNA.

Dr. O'Neill is responsible for the medical management of all CIGNA members in the Pacific Northwest. Her work includes the development of innovative programs with physicians, clinics and hospitals in the region to improve the quality and efficiency of health care. She is also involved in developing more sophisticated tools for CIGNA members to take a more active role in their own health care.

Prior to coming to CIGNA, Dr. O'Neill was a medical director for the Uniform Medical Plan providing health care coverage for Washington State Employees. She started her career as rehabilitation physician at Virginia Mason Medical Center where she was the head of the department. She has served on the Board of Trustees of the Washington State Medical Association and the Board of Directors of HealthEast in St. Paul, Minnesota. She received her MD and Rehabilitation Residency training both at the University of Washington. She received her MBA at the Foster School of Business also at the University of Washington.