New York State Practice Transformation Network Receives Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative Award

New York, NY (September 30, 2015) – The New York State Practice Transformation Network (NYSPTN) is one of 39 healthcare collaborative networks selected to participate in the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative, announced today by Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell. NYSPTN, led by the New York eHealth Collaborative and Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency, will administer $48.5M over four years to provide technical assistance support to help equip clinicians in New York State with tools, information, and network support needed to improve quality of care, increase patients’ access to information, and spend healthcare dollars more wisely.

“Supporting doctors and other healthcare professionals change the way they work is critical to improving quality and spending our healthcare dollars more wisely,” said Secretary Burwell. “These awards will give patients more of the information they need to make informed decisions about their care and give clinicians access to information and support to improve care coordination and quality outcomes.”

As a Practice Transformation Network (PTN), the New York State PTN will support up to 11,193 eligible clinicians to expand their quality improvement capacity, learn from one another, and achieve common goals of improved care, better health, and reduced costs. The network will provide support for HIT utilization, workflow optimization, quality measure improvements, collaborative tools, and infrastructure to help participating clinicians meet the initiative’s phases of transformation and associated milestones, clinical, and operational results.

Leading, trusted members of New York State’s healthcare community have come together to create the New York State Practice Transformation Network and ensure that New Yorkers benefit from this important federal program. New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) will lead the NYSPTN, acting as the financial fiduciary and providing program oversight, project management, reporting, legal, and other administrative functions. Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency (FLHSA) will serve as the practice transformation workflow and clinical curriculum lead, program governance co-chair, and a technical assistance (TA) subcontractor.

Other organizations supporting the NYSPTN include:

• New York State Department of Health
• New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
• United Hospital Fund
• Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY)
• New York Chapter American College of Physicians (NYACP)
• The Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS)
• Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA)
• NYS Academy of Family Physicians
• Mount Sinai Health System
• North Shore-LIJ Health System
• Community Health Care Association of NY State (CHCANYS)
• New York State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
• Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC)
• P2 Collaborative of Western New York
• Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative (MAeHC)
• Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization
• Taconic Health Information Network and Community
• Adirondack Health Institute
• Suffolk County Medical Society
• MedAllies
• Syracuse University
• HealtheConnections

“The New York State Practice Transformation Network (NYSPTN) will build on the skills and infrastructure from the highly successful Regional Extension Center (REC) program that assisted physicians to adopt electronic health records and use them in them in a meaningful way. This was instrumental in the growth of our statewide health information network (SHIN-NY). The NYSPTN will be key in our continued drive towards supporting healthcare transformation in New York State,” said David Whitlinger, Executive Director of New York eHealth Collaborative.

“The initiative will also benefit from Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency’s extensive experience helping medical practices transition to a team-based approach to care. “We know that providers are struggling under the demands of health care reform,” said Trilby de Jung, FLHSA Chief Executive Officer. “Without this critical support, it may be impossible to realize the full potential we have to improve health, both for individuals and populations.”

These awards are part of a comprehensive strategy advanced by the Affordable Care Act that enables new levels of coordination, continuity, and integration of care, while transitioning volume-driven systems to value-based, patient-centered healthcare services. It builds upon successful models and programs such as the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Organization Program, Partnership for Patients with Hospital Engagement Networks, and Accountable Care Organizations.  

For more information on the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative, please visit: http://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/Transforming-Clinical-Practices/.

About New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC):
NYeC is a not-for-profit organization working in partnership with the New York State Department of Health to improve healthcare for all New Yorkers through health information technology (health IT). Founded in 2006 by healthcare leaders, NYeC receives funding from state and federal grants to serve as the focal point for health IT in the State of New York. NYeC works to develop policies and standards, to assist healthcare providers in making the shift to electronic health records, and to coordinate the creation of the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY), a network to connect healthcare providers statewide. www.nyehealth.org

About Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency (FLHSA):
Founded in 1974, the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency is one of the nation’s oldest and most effective regional health planning organizations. The agency serves the nine-county Finger Lakes region from its office in Rochester’s Neighborhood of the Arts. Through data analysis, FLHSA experts identify the most pressing health needs facing the region, then bring together hospitals, insurers, physicians, consumers, and other partners to find solutions. Over the past decade, for example, agency-led initiatives have helped to reduce lead poisoning by 81%, and in 2012, the agency was awarded the largest Medicare and Medicaid innovation grant in the country. http://www.flhsa.org/