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Pennsylvania: A Leader in Chronic Care Management
 Yesterday, Governor Rendell commended the first group of health care providers in southeastern Pennsylvania who signed up to take important steps to improve the quality of care of all their patients, but especially those with chronic conditions. His speech marked the one year anniversary of the first learning collaborative of the Pennsylvania Chronic Care Initiative. As part of his comprehensive health care reform plan, Prescription for Pennsylvania, the Governor called for the implementation of a Chronic Care Initiative to improve care for the more than 50 percent of Pennsylvania residents who have a chronic health conditions and lower the $4 billon dollars of avoidable hospitalization charges that occurred in 2007 alone.
By coming together in an unprecedented fashion, 32 medical practices with more than 149 primary care practioners and 230,000 patients are making great strides in improving how they monitor, deliver and are reimbursed for chronic care management. They are doing so by implementing a combination of the Wagner Chronic Care and the Patient-Centered Medical Home models. Initially they will be focusing on diabetes and pediatric asthma. And this is just the beginning. Four additional three-year regional collaboratives are being rolled out across the state. By the end of June all of them will have started, meaning more than 400 physicians and CRNPs and 750,000 patients will be involved in this groundbreaking initiative.
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Last evening, the Governor told the southeastern group that the initial data is impressive. "Diabetic patients are taking control of their own care – the number with self-management goals has increased 195 percent in one year since the chronic care initiative began. There has been a 71 percent increase in the number of people getting eye exams and a 142 percent increase in the number getting annual foot exams. The number of diabetics who have lowered their cholesterol below 130 has increased by 43 percent. Those who have gotten their blood pressure below 140/90 has increased by 25 percent. All of these improvements mean healthier Pennsylvanians.”
This is only the beginning, and we have a long road ahead. However, yesterday marked an important milestone in the process. As we expand to other regions of the state, we will build on these successes. Implementing the Chronic Care Initiative to transform the way health care is delivered is improving care and will drive down costs.
The successes of this initiative and other Rx for PA initiatives, continue to make Pennsylvania a pioneer in health care reform.
To learn more about this and other health care reform efforts go to www.rxforpa.com |
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© Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. Photos courtesy of Commonwealth Media Services. |
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