HHS Names Transforming Clinical Practice Grant Recipients

Ohio's Application Fails to Make the Final Cut

(Sept. 30, 2015) Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell today announced $685 million in awards to 39 national and regional health care networks and supporting organizations to help equip more than 140,000 clinicians with the tools and support needed to improve quality of care, increase patients' access to information, and reduce costs.

The Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative (TCPI) is one of the largest federal investments designed to support doctors and other clinicians in all 50 states through collaborative and peer-based learning networks. A group of Ohio organizations, including the Ohio Osteopathic Association, submitted a TCPI application through the Ohio Health Information Partnership, but the proposal did not make the final cut for funding.

"We want to thank all of (our partners) for the tremendous amount of hours, work, writing and strategic thought that went into this application, said CliniSync CEO Dan Paoletti.  “The work and the collaboration it demonstrated is a testament to the collegiality of Ohio's healthcare community.”

Paoletti went on to explain that HHS appears to have selected a diverse set of providers and models. Although no Ohio-based recipients were selected, some Ohio institutions and groups will be funded through a national group or organization, he said.

The TCPI will support efforts among medical group practices, regional health care systems, regional extension centers, and national medical professional association networks. These efforts will help clinicians expand their quality improvement capacity, engage in greater peer-to-peer learning, and utilize health data to determine gaps and target intervention needs. The initiative has two major components.

• Twenty-nine Practice Transformation Networks (PTNs) will provide technical assistance and peer- level support to assist clinicians in delivering care in a patient-centric and efficient manner. Examples include providing dedicated coaches to help practices better manage chronic diseases, supporting improved patient access to practitioners through e-mails and other information technology applications, and helping to advance improved access to remote and virtual care.
• Ten Support and Alignment Networks (SANs) will focus on such initiatives as creating a collaborative for emergency clinicians to address appropriate utilization of tests and procedures and forming collaboratives between psychiatry and primary care providers so patients can receive basic mental health care from their primary care providers.

Many of the SAN grant receipients were national physician organizations.  For more information click here:
http://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/Transforming-Clinical-Practices/