A statewide collaboration among multiple stakeholders focusing on improving the health and health care of all West Virginians. The goal of the Institute is to improve the health status of all West Virginians through aligned initiatives focusing on improved access, prevention, promotion of wellness and healthy lifestyle choices, and optimal evidence based chronic illness management.
West Virginia’s population has an alarmingly high prevalence of several chronic diseases and risk factors for chronic disease. The rural nature of our state also presents unique challenges to providing optimal primary care for those who are acutely or chronically ill. Several ongoing initiatives throughout the state are attempting to address these concerns. The Institute will serve as a means to align these initiatives, a mechanism to enroll and engage key stakeholders, and a communication vehicle to promote transparency in this process.
The State’s Medicaid program is striving to improve the quality of life for Medicaid members by emphasizing prevention, personal responsibility, and coordinated health care. To achieve coordinated care and preventive care, we must promote a more patient-centered approach the health care delivery, with each member having a medical home where their care can be better planned, coordinated and managed, using state-of-the-art concepts in medical management including evidenced-based medicine, electronic health records, a team approach to care delivery, and integrated clinical reminders. The Institute will facilitate these necessary changes to our primary care delivery system.
In the first eighteen months, the Institute will focus primarily upon achieving the Health System Improvement goals and objectives of the Medicaid Transformation Grants. These include helping to prepare health providers to qualify as “Advanced Medical Homes” and to participate in performance-based demonstration programs. These activities will be used as a leverage point for driving change through the rest of the health care system. The systems and infrastructure established through Medicaid Transformation will expand to serve broader populations and health care needs.
The Institute will be guided by an Advisory Board comprised of West Virginia’s leading health care experts and institutions. Four workgroups, each focused on key aspects of primary care transformation, will convene regularly to formulate recommendations and accomplish specific deliverable tasks. The chairs of each workgroup will form the Executive Board and ensure appropriate communication and collaboration across the different workgroups.
The Institute will build on previous work that has been accomplished, not reinvent the wheel. There will be focused work groups. The alignment with other initiatives will avoid unnecessary redundancy. The structure will minimize bureaucracy and focus on execution. There will be a strong communication infrastructure to provide the glue for all stakeholders.
