Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Budget Crisis….and Beyond
Presentation to the
National Association of Community Health Centers
_________________________
Kate Breslin, Community Health Care Association of New York State
Dan Lowenstein, Primary Care Development Corporation
August 24, 2009
www.nyprimarycarehome.org
Overview
• Background
• Opportunities
• Forming the Coalition
• Coalition Strategies and Tactics
• Challenges
• Outcomes
Background – Why?
Historically, New York has:
• An extremely strong acute care system and an
undersized, disorganized primary care sector.
• High and rising health care costs (including but
not limited to Medicaid) with mediocre health
outcomes.
• Large disparities in access & outcomes.
• Highest Medicaid spending in the US, with
mediocre outcomes.
Background – Opportunities
• Recognition of inefficient and expensive
health care system
• Commission on Health Care Facilities in the
21st Century (Hospital Closing Commission)
formed to address costs
• Governor offers a “fresh start” – promises
to transform New York’s health care system
Background – Challenges
• Low awareness of primary care
• Organized, resourced hospital sector, but
disorganized, underresourced primary care sector
• “Competing” agendas among primary care
stakeholders
• Rapidly contracting economy – groups competing
for shrinking resources
• Governor Spitzer resigns – early questions about
whether Governor Paterson would support
Formation of the
Primary Care Coalition
• Primary Care Development Corporation
(founder)
• Community Health Care Association of New
York State (founder)
• Area Health Education Centers System
• American College of Physicians
• Academy of Family Physicians
Coalition Purpose
Purpose: Place primary and preventive care
at the center of the State’s health reform
agenda with the objective of assuring a
strong, effective primary care home for
every New Yorker.
Strategy: To build the consensus, visibility
and momentum needed to do this.
The Primary Care Agenda
• Reform the payment system to encourage primary care
by enhancing reimbursement for primary care services;
• Preserve and expand primary care infrastructure and
workforce capacity;
• Transform the current model of care to a patient
centered healthcare home;
• Aggressively promote the use and adoption of health
information technology among providers of primary
care services; and
• Expand and improve coverage to remove financial
barriers to care
Aligns with/supports National Agenda
Access for All America Primary Care
Coalition’s NY
NACHC’s AAA Plan
Primary Care Agenda
Capacity Preserve, strengthen, Transform to PCMH &
expand on stable base expand capacity
Reimbursement Expand revenue: grants Reform payment systems
and reimbursement to support primary care
Workforce Assure workforce Develop a primary care
workforce
Capital Augment capital Support for primary care
resources capital and HIT adoption
Infrastructure Implement support Increase capacity
systems and TA through workforce,
capital, HIT
Coalition Operations
• Core funding: organizational selfassessments,
augmented by additional funds as available.
• Coalition leaders supply the policy expertise; hire:
– Media specialist, given the need for a campaign
– A parttime coordinator
• Coalition partners commit themselves to weekly
“warroom” calls + periodic 1day strategy retreats
• Decisionmaking is collective; requires rapid
response from all partners on media issues
Strategies and Tactics –
Key Messages
• New York’s health care system is inefficient and
expensive
• Primary care is essential to*
– Lowering health care costs
– Improving health outcomes
– Eliminating disparities
• Investing in primary care saves money in the system
• Strengthening primary care must go hand in hand with
expanding health insurance coverage
* “Laying the Foundation: Health System Reform In NYS and the
Primary Care Imperative,” Rosenbaum and Shin
Strategies and Tactics Policy
• Developed 5point agenda for Primary Care
• Issued reports and studies detailing need for
primary care
• Promoted third party evidence that supported
PCC’s agenda
• Publicly & actively supported New York’s
primary care investments
Strategies and Tactics – Key Targets
• New York State: Executive, Legislature,
Hospital Closing Commission
• New York City: Mayor, City Council
• Focus on key decisionmakers in
government
• Built primary care “champions”
Strategies and Tactics – Outreach
• Meetings with key legislators
• Testimony at public hearings
• Position papers on legislative/budget issues
• Regular mailings/emails
• Signon petitions
• Coalition listserv
• Website
• Media
– Press conferences
– Editorial board meetings
– Edtiorial/Oped/story placements
Policy Research
Primary care need, capacity, cost savings:
• “Laying the Foundation: Health System Reform In NYS and the
Primary Care Imperative,” (2006, Rosenbaum and Shin)
• Analysis of potential cost savings through primary care investment (in
progress, August 2009)
• Primary Care Capacity Shortage in NYC and the Potential Impact of
Hospital Closures (PCDC and HHC)
• A Zip Code Analysis of Primary Care Need in NYS (AHEC)
• The Future of Primary Care in NYS (ACP)
Payment reform
• New York’s Primary Care Reimbursement System: A Roadmap To
Better Outcomes (PCDC)
• Commercial Insurers’ Reimbursement Rate to New York’s
Community Health Centers Jeopardizes Care (CHCANYS)
Website: nyprimarycarehome.org
Media Success
Cycle of Influence
Policy Implications
Policy outcomes – 20062007
• Hospital Closing Commission includes
primary care investment recommendations
• Primary care policy included in
gubernatorial primary and election
campaigns
• Assembly hearings on primary care
Policy outcomes – 20082009
• New York makes historic shift in investments from inpatient to
outpatient
– $600 million invested in primary care in 20072009
– Reimbursement for important primary care enhancements
(weekend/evening operations, asthma/diabetes educators
– “DoctorsAcrossNY” loan forgiveness and practice startup assistance
physicians to practice in underserved communities
– New Primary Care Quality Standards Statewide Medical Home slated
for 2010
– Positive changes in primary care safety net/uninsured funding
• Dedicated $200M special grant funding to expand primary care
capacity, assist in HIT adoption
What’s Next?
• Strategically grow coalition to engage other supporters
• Expand media presence, including social media
• Assure continued success of the 4year reform agenda in
the face of continuing hospital opposition, State budget
crisis.
• Monitor feedback on reforms
– Are they having the desired impact on quality and access? Are
they sufficient?
• Leverage new opportunities
– Impact of federal health reform primary care
– Federal HIT impact/opportunities/ARRA
Big Challenges
• Policy Challenges
– Primary and preventive care are a silent need
difficult to “light on fire” as an issue.
– Historic underfunding lack of power and visibility
compared to other health care sectors.
– Health care reform defined as insurance expansion
• Coalition Challenges
– Consensus decisionmaking
– Resources, organizational capacity
Reflections: The Policy Front
• The importance of campaign skills
• The need for credibility
• Expanded Coverage vs. Delivery System
Reform: Why “you can’t have one without
the other”
• The need to keep reinforcing messagse – to
policymakers, partners, media
Reflections: All Fronts
The importance of:
• Building clarity, consensus on the problems
• Having actionable strategies
• Building stakeholders/partnerships
• Remembering that we are stronger together
than we are apart (even though we don’t
always agree)
Dan Lowenstein at (212) 4373942
www.pcdcny.org
Kate Breslin at (518) 4340767
www.chcanys.org
www.nyprimarycarehome.org