HEALTHeLINK named CPC+ data aggregator by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

National primary care medical home model intended to improve delivery of care & reduce unnecessary, costly tests & procedures

HEALTHeLINK has been named the comprehensive primary care plus (CPC+) data aggregator for the Greater Buffalo Region by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CPC+ is a national advanced primary care medical home model initiative that aims to strengthen primary care through regionally based multi-payer payment reform and care delivery transformation.

“HEALTHeLINK has consistently demonstrated expertise in aggregating clinical data from health care entities across the community and working with that data to help health care providers most efficiently and effectively treat their patients,” said Dan Porreca, executive director of HEALTHeLINK. “With claims data from our local health plans and now CMS for Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries added on top of the clinical data already a part of HEALTHeLINK, we are in a unique position to provide a comprehensive patient quality of care reporting capability. Having the most current and comprehensive health information where it’s needed, when it’s needed, leads to better patient care.”

The Greater Buffalo Region, encompassing Erie and Niagara counties, is one of 18 regions nationwide currently participating in CPC+. In addition to CMS, this public-private partnership includes 69 primary care practices and support from BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York and Independent Health.

“BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York has a longstanding history of supporting organizations and initiatives that strengthen physicians’ ability to provide well-coordinated, high-quality care to our members, and are proud to be aligned with HEALTHeLINK,” said Dr. Thomas Schenk, executive vice president, chief medical officer, BlueCross BlueShield of Western New Yok. “As the first health plan in the region to share claims data with HEALTHeLINK, we remain committed to finding new ways to support the health of our community, and are excited to provide this enhanced reporting capability to our primary care partners.”

“Continued evolution of health care delivery to population health, value-based approaches hinge upon robust and timely data,” said Dr. Anthony J. Billittier IV, FACEP, executive vice president and chief medical officer, Independent Health. “At Independent Health, we have already begun to witness enhancement of both quality and lower overall cost of care thanks to HEALTHeLINK’s experience and expertise supporting local practices enrolled in CPC+.”

Participating CPC+ practices will utilize HEALTHeLINK’s population health tool, HEALTHeOUTCOMES. This tool, which currently aggregates clinical and claims data, will also receive CMS Medicare FFS claims data beginning in early 2021 to be used for measures calculations. Having secure access to this data all in one place through HEALTHeOUTCOMES will help to inform each CPC+ practice on not only their treating patients’ medical history, but also on utilization patterns and cost of care to ultimately improve the delivery of comprehensive primary care and reduce the number of unnecessary services their patients receive.

As the health information exchange (HIE) for Western New York, HEALTHeLINK is receiving clinical data from more than 450 distinct data sources, including hospitals, physician practices, federally qualified health centers, long-term care facilities, radiology providers, independent laboratory practices, home health care agencies and medication history sources. With patient consent, treating providers can securely access this data through HEALTHeLINK.

HEALTHeLINK is a collaboration among hospitals, physicians, health plans and other health care providers in the eight counties of Western New York to securely exchange clinical information to improve the quality of care, enhance patient safety and mitigate health care costs. HEALTHeLINK is a qualified entity of the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY), which enables providers to access their patients’ data from across the state. HEALTHeLINK is also a founding member of the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (SHIEC), the national trade association of health information exchanges. Providers and patients can visit wnyhealthelink.com or @HEALTHeLINK on both Facebook and Twitter for more information.