Health Planning in Central New York:  A Background

Community and financial support of health planning in New York and across the nation has been cyclical since it was first recognized under the 1946 Hill-Burton Act which encouraged states to develop planning structures. Federal and state funds supporting health planning became available in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s that allowed localities, including Central New York, to establish strong and effective health planning agencies. The Central New York Health Systems Agency (CNYHSA) was established during this time (1976). Subsequently, public funding for health planning was revoked (federal - 1980s and state - 1995) leading to the demise of most health systems agencies nationally and all but two in the state of New York, one being CNYHSA.

In the mid-2000’s, New York State launched a major, multi-year effort under the “Heath Effectiveness and Affordability Law” (HEAL) to right-size and improve the efficiency of a health care system that had developed largely in a free market with only limited State control. The first step in the HEAL initiative, the right-sizing of hospitals, prompted the State to call for and fund the revitalization of community based health planning to avoid the need for such a dramatic downsizing effort in the future.

It is against this backdrop that employers in Central New York became increasingly concerned over rising health care premiums and, in 2005, formed HAC-CNY. To date, HAC-CNY’s priority has been to create what is now HeatheConnections, the RHIO for Central New York. With the launch of HeatheConnections, HAC-CNY began to look strategically at how best to build a strong health planning function for Central New York that would be synergistic with HeatheConnections.

HAC-CNY / CNYHSA Collaboration

In December, 2010, HAC-CNY announced the development of a collaboration with the Central New York Health Systems Agency (CNYHSA) intended to bring together the complementary strengths of both organizations under a formal structure to create a sustainable community health planning capacity for Central New York.  

A $115,000 grant from the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York (CHFWCNY) and $35,000 contribution from Excellus BlueCross Blue Shield was secured by HAC-CNY to underwrite the costs of the collaboration process. An additional $1 million grant under New York State’s Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers Grant Program (HEAL 19 NY) provides funds over two years through CNYHSA to build the infrastructure for the collaboration and conduct three studies. The studies will focus on unnecessary emergency room use, the need and demand for long term care services, and the identification of future priorities based on a comprehensive assessment of regional health and health service needs. The foundation and State grants are being overseen by a Joint Task Force of HAC-CNY and CNYHSA board members.

The collaboration between HAC-CNY and CNYHSA is the first the State to bring together health planning and the operation of a RHIO; creating the opportunity for synergies such as integrating RHIO clinical data into health studies and identifying technology solutions that can improve the efficiency of, and access to, community services.

Co-Chairs

• Eric Hunt, Vice President, CIO, Welch Allyn
  
• William Conole, Administrator, Crouse Community Center

Members

• Joe Augustine, MD, CNY Family Care
• Paul Becallo, Business Manager, CNY Orthopedic Sports Medicine
• George Chapman, Principal, GW Chapman Consulting
• Ruben Cowart, DDS, President/CEO, Syracuse Community Health Center
• Catherine Hanover, Vice-President, St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Utica
• David Johnson, Partner, King & King Architects
• Richard Kazel, Co-Mngr., Medical VA Care, Syracuse VA Medical Center
• Orrin MacMurray, Chair, C&S Companies
• Anne Messenger, President, Messenger Associates
• Cynthia Morrow, MD, Onondaga County Health Commissioner
• Tom Quinn, President, CEO, Community General Hospital
• Jef Sneider, MD, Physician, Representing Onondaga County Medical Society
• Arthur Vercillo, MD, President, CNY Region, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
• Robert Weisenthal, MD, President, CNY Eye Care
• Bruce Wood, Atty., Partner, Wood and Smith, PC

Representative, Community Health Foundation of Western & CNY

• Patricia Numann, MD, Lloyd S. Rogers Professor of Surgery Emeritus, SUNY Upstate Medical University

HAC-CNY launched HealtheConnections RHIO Central New York as the Regional Health Inforamtion Organization (RHIO) that oversees all aspects of the growning Central New York health informaiton exhance.

Most all states and hundreds of local communities are working to create the ability to exchange clinical information electronically. Developing the technology (software and hardware) is just part of the story. Policies and standards are also needed to ensure that different software solutions can ‘talk’ to one another and that a patient’s information and privacy are secure. Having the right technology and policies are essential, but not sufficient to realize the benefits of an information exchange. Providers also need to make the switch to electronic records and incorporate them into their daily treatment routines, which can be costly and disruptive. Many believe that financial incentives and changes in how providers are reimbursed will be needed for a majority of providers to leap the digital divide.

The focus of the Collaborative's work initially is on the electronic exchange of lab, radiology and medication information.

Several articles and surveys are included in the resource section of this web that talk about the history of clinical information exchange, about current initiatives and issues related to building successful networks.

For more information on HealtheConnections, pelase visit us at www.HealtheConnections.org.