Aligning Forces for Quality News

I Can! Challenge Recognized as a Finalist for the Nonprofit Innovation Awards

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:00:00 AM GMT

York, PA (February 24, 2010) – The I Can! Challenge campaign was recently recognized as a finalist for the 11^th annual Nonprofit Innovation Awards. The campaign is a program of Aligning Forces for Quality for South Central Pennsylvania (AF4Q SCPA), an initiative aimed at improving care for the chronically ill in south central Pennsylvania.

“We are extremely proud to be a finalist for our I Can! Challenge,” said Christine Helwig Amy, Project Director for AF4Q SCPA. “Hundreds of people participated in the challenge and made a positive difference in their health by incorporating healthier habits into their daily lives. Being recognized for this program that helped so many people is just icing on the cake.”

The I Can! Challenge is a 12-week program for individuals with diabetes and heart disease. The program’s goal was to teach people how to be more active and involved in managing their chronic condition. More information about the I Can! Challenge is available at http://www.icanchallenge.com .

The Nonprofit Innovation Awards is a program of the Central Penn Business Journal that recognizes innovation in the daily operations of local nonprofit organizations. An independent panel of judges evaluated qualified nominees and determined the finalists. AF4Q SCPA was recognized as one of seven finalists in the brand identity/unique marketing campaign category, which recognizes originality, effectiveness, measurability, efficient utilization of resources, and potential as a model for other organizations. Overall, 35 local nonprofit organizations and their leaders were recognized in five categories: “Brand Identity/Unique Marketing Campaign,” “Collaboration,” “Programs,” “Management Operations,” and “Nonprofit Leadership Excellence.”

For more information about Aligning Forces for Quality in South Central Pennsylvania, visit http://www.aligning4healthpa.org .

New County Health Rankings Show Quality of Care Varies in South Central Pennsylvania

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:00:00 AM GMT

Statement by Christine Amy, Project Director
Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania

Where we live matters to our health. That’s the finding from the “ 2010 County Health Rankings ,” a collection of 50 reports released today that compares the overall health of counties in every state. For the first time, we have a county-by-county snapshot of the overall health of the region and the factors that influence our health.

The rankings show that there are wide variations in the health care available in Pennsylvania. While this reflects a national problem, health care is delivered locally. This is why Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania, an initiative of the Healthy York County Coalition, is part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Aligning Forces for Quality initiative. We are working to drive quality improvement by aligning key players in local communities. We need to continue bringing together those who give care, get care and pay for care in a coordinated effort to lift the overall quality of Pennsylvania’s health care. As we do this, we are reducing racial and ethnic disparities in health and serving as real-world models for national reform.

York and Adams County have been leaders in community health in Pennsylvania for the last 15 years. The health improvement activities of the Healthy York County Coalition, Healthy Adams County and other collaboratives have resulted in our communities being ranked in the first quartile for health factors. Our success is a tribute to the quality of our partnerships and our commitment to improving the health in our region, but there is still work to be done.

The rankings released today serve as yet another call for people to work together to improve health care. Here in Pennsylvania, we’re working to improve the quality of local health care by exploring new ways to improve communication between health care providers and patients. We’re giving people information and tools that help them become better partners with their doctors, so they can better manage their own health. We’re also working with doctors and hospitals to improve the quality of care they deliver.

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For more information about how Aligning Forces for Quality is working to improve health care quality in Pennsylvania, see www.aligning4healthpa.org.

Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania, an initiative of Healthy York County Coalition. Since its establishment in 1994, Healthy York County Coalition (HYCC) has worked to bring together stakeholders from across the community and to unite them in health and wellness efforts. Our Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania initiative created in 2007, works to improve the care that individuals with chronic disease currently receive.

Aligning Forces for Quality

Aligning Forces for Quality, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) initiative, brings together those who get care, give care and pay for care to improve the quality of health care in entire communities. RWJF’s unprecedented commitment of resources, expertise and training is turning proven practices into real results in 15 communities, including Albuquerque, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Humboldt County (Calif.), Kansas City (Mo.), Maine, Memphis, Minnesota, Puget Sound (Wash.), South Central Pennsylvania, West Michigan, Western New York, Willamette Valley (Ore.) and Wisconsin. For more information, log onto www.rwjf.org/qualityequality/af4q.

I Can! Challenge targets people with chronic conditions

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:00:00 AM GMT

12-week program offers activities and tips to improve your health

These five community residents will publicly take the I Can! Challenge on FOX 43. Anchor Evan Forrester will feature weekly segments on the Challenge on the 10 p.m. newscast on Thursday nights and again from 7-9 a.m. on the following day’s newscast.

More than 125 million Americans suffer from one or more chronic illnesses and 40 percent of them live limited lives because of their conditions.

As part of its ongoing effort to improve care for the chronically ill in south central Pennsylvania, WellSpan and its community partners in Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) proudly announce a new 12-week program for individuals with diabetes and heart disease. Five members of the community will publicly take the I Can! Challenge on FOX 43.

The challenge officially begins on Thursday, May 7. Participants, however, may start their own challenge at any time. FOX 43 anchor Evan Forrester will feature weekly segments on the Challenge on the 10 p.m. newscast on Thursday nights and again from 7-9 a.m. on the following day’s newscast.

The challengers’ life-changing journeys will be documented on their individual blogs at www.icanchallenge.com. Each week, the challengers will be asked to complete an activity corresponding with a particular week’s focus area.

Topics will include diet and exercise, physical activity, doctor/patient relationship, overcoming obstacles, understanding quality data, managing stress and more.

“It is important for individuals to take an active role in managing their chronic conditions,” said Christine Amy, project director for AF4Q South Central Pennsylvania.

The Challenge is part of AF4Q, a community collaborative, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, that engages leaders, consumers, physicians, nurses, employers and insurers to improve the quality of care for the chronically ill. Healthy York County Coalition coordinates local efforts for the program.

“We hope the challengers’ public journey will help motivate others to form teams with the family members, friends and co-workers to take the I Can! Challenge,” said Amy. The Challenge is open to everyone in York and Adams counties.

Individuals who sign up to participate can access all the tools and information on the Web site, or request an information packet by calling 1-866-997-ICAN. Participants may sign up to receive text messages and e-mails with tips to help them meet a particular week’s challenge.

“We know many people with chronic conditions want to make changes to help improve their health, but they often don’t know where to start,” said Amy.

“Through this challenge, we are hoping to provide guidance for people who want to make changes in their life. The Web site will be a great resource.”

Participants can track their progress on the Web site by regularly updating their information such as weight, activity level, food intake and blood pressure. The Web site also has links to other helpful resources, discussion boards, activities and incentives for participants.

WellSpan staff members interesting in taking the challenge are encouraged to visit www.icanchallenge.com to register and for more information.

York Dispatch Op/Ed: Local alliance working to reduce gaps in health care quality

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

Updated: 09/25/2009 11:04:56 AM EDT

Every day, someone is telling us we need health care reform. But for many people, the discussions around health care reform, especially those we hear from the media, center on access.

The Census Bureau estimates that 45.7 million of us living in the United States are uninsured. The rest of the population is covered by some plan either public or commercial.

To understand what is really wrong with our health care system, you need to step back and ask yourself: If everyone had the best health insurance in the U.S., would we be healthier, would we save money and would it fix the system?

My answer is no. Even if everyone was insured, our system is fundamentally broken. According to a 2007 Rand Corp. study, adults receive the recommended standard of care 50 percent of the time.

Our current system is full of overuse, underuse and misuse. We hear about access to care and the cost of healthcare, but rarely do we hear about the quality of care.

What is quality? If you walk up to someone on the street and ask them to define quality in health care, the majority of the time they will respond, "My doctor listens to me" or "She understood my issue."

While those are important qualities for a good doctor-patient relationship, I ask you to consider another definition of quality.

Quality health care is doing the right thing for a patient, at the right time, in the right way to achieve the best possible outcome.

Aligning Forces for Quality South Central Pennsylvania -- a local alliance of employers, consumers, healthcare providers and health plans -- is working to reduce and, I hope, one day eliminate the gaps in health care quality in Adams and York counties.

How is this organization working to improve health care quality?

The staff of our local health systems are reaching out to patients and developing models of care that are patient-centered. Doctors and nurse practitioners are voluntarily submitting clinical data on their patients to Aligning Forces for Quality so that they can work to improve their level of performance and be better partners with patients. Community-supported health care improvement efforts such as I Can! Challenge have helped people learn how to be healthier and better partners with their health system.

By understanding that no one group can change the system alone, we realize we have to do it together.

I invite you to learn more about the work of this local effort and how you can be a better user of health care by going to our Web site, www.aligning4healthpa.org.

Christine Helwig Amy is the project director for Aligning Forces for Quality South Central Pennsylvania.

AF4Q Successes Highlighted at 2009 Annual Meeting

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:00:00 AM GMT

More than 65 individuals (employers, community organizations, physicians, nurses and consumers) gathered at the Holidome on Wednesday, Sept. 2 for an update from Aligning Forces for Quality South Central Pennsylvania titled “where we are, what we’ve learned, where we’re going.” The highlight of the evening for many was when two of the I Can! Challengers spoke about their experience.

Janis Kinard-Lopez and Feliz Gonzalez shared their journeys to improve their diabetes and overall health. Both have successfully completed the 12-week program and improved their health status in the process. They made many lifestyle changes, including improving their eating habits, reducing stress and incorporating regular exercise into their lives. Feliz encouraged others to take the challenge and summed it up by saying “You could, I can.”

Other presentations were given on improving quality and working toward a patient-centered medical home, public reporting of primary care and health literacy.

Marijka Grey, M.D. of Gettysburg Internal Medicine and Matthew Vogel, a vice president with Highmark, spoke about improving the quality of health care through the patient-centered medical home and chronic care model. Dr. Grey shared some of the successes she has seen in her practice using this new model of care. Matthew presented the payers side of the story and explained that payers like to see proof that a new health care option is working when considering reimbursements for them.

Performance measurement and public reporting was described from the physician perspective by Karen Jones, M.D. of WellSpan Health and from the employer perspective by Greg Paradiso, director of compensation and benefits, for Glatfelter Company. Dr. Jones said that public reporting may help patients to become more involved in their health. Greg said that employers are in favor of public reporting as a way of identifying the providers with the most successful outcomes. He said that employers are looking for ways to reduce health care expenses and improve their bottom line.

In addition, Jane Oyler, with Gettysburg Hospital, spoke about the importance of health literacy. She explained that health care providers will often use terminology that the patient does not understand. This can make it difficult for the patient to know what to do at home to help manage their condition.

Lively discussions were held at each of the tables following the presentations. Each table was asked to consider two questions:
1. What lessons have we learned in AF4Q to date?
2. What do you think policymakers (local, state or federal) can do to further our vision?

Highlights from the table discussions.

Meeting presentations:

Working Towards a Patient-Centered Medical Home, Matthew Vogel
Quality Improvement: Working Towards a Patient-Centered Medical Home, Marijka Grey, M.D.
Why Publicly Report Physician Performance, Greg Paradiso
Why Publicly Report Physician Performance, Karen Jones, M.D.
Health Literacy, Jane Oyler

Photos from annual meeting