There is a SIM quarterly newsletter here:

As always, lots of information is available at:

This was the first meeting since December. The Annual meeting was postponed from January due to the first big blizzard and is now scheduled for March 4 (snow date is March 6). You can register on line at the SIM site.

The Hanley Center was awarded the contract for the SIM Leadership Development Program. Jim Harnar from the Hanley Center provided an update.

o12 member advisory committee will help to guide it (currently being formed).

oTwo components (which were developed by the SIM Steering Committee):

Training teams in change management and resiliency

Statewide gathering of healthcare CEOs to create a strategy for statewide development of health leaders for the 21st century

Update on Evaluation work

oCore measures to monitor impact of SIM

oProcess for continuous learning/improvement from feedback of data from SIM process

oEvaluating process of implementation of SIM initiatives, cost effectiveness study (changes in utilization more so than total costs of care)

Katie Fullam Harris expressed concern that an explicit goal of SIM resulting in a significant cost reduction is not attainable without harming care delivery and asks that an explicit discussion of this occur. It will be added to the agenda for the next meeting.

Report from Delivery System Reform Subcommittee

oPilot using HIN for improving functions of care coordination – more substantive update should be available in April

oWill begin engaging in MaineCare Accountable Communities initiative to help inform their work

Data Infrastructure Subcommittee has been having attendance problems so they are re-examining their work and their membership.

Payment Reform Subcommittee

oPathways to Excellence BH measures are now publicly reported

oOngoing work on total cost of care and resource use measures

Public reporting is delayed until July, 2015. Have been supplied to practices over the last year.

These reports currently reflect only commercial claims.

Steering Committee was asked to approve the TCOC and Resource Use measures used by PTE – tabled until the measures are all finalized , anticipated in the next month.

Performance measure alignment – a set of 36 common measures vetted on ambulatory care side, primarily claims based (for now). Commercial payers are all in support, though they do not agree to limit their measures to just these 36. Shaun Alfreds expressed concern that some of the measures are challenging due to inability of EMR’s to upload data to HIN. Failing that providers would have to generate that data. Steering Committee endorsed the process.

oVoluntary Annual Growth Cap – requested for PMPM targets in ACO’s, other risk based contracts. This is a complicated process and review of related materials on SIM web site is recommended if you want more detail. Idea is for health plans and consumers to engage with facilitating caps on program cost growth. A subgroup has been working on this (benefit design, wellness incentives, community supports, etc.). Costs of medications were an additional concern and may be hard to impact.

Sincerely,

Rhonda Selvin, APRN Noah Nesin, MD, FAAFP