It's hard to believe that 2017 marks the 5th anniversary of implementation of the CO APCD. As noted in our recent CO APCD Annual Report, the CO APCD has supported hundreds of Change Agents across the state over the past five years, impacting hundreds of thousands of Coloradans. In the last year alone, CIVHC provided over 110 separate custom data fulfillments to stakeholders to support their improvement initiatives.

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Data from CIVHC's 2008-2013 Palliative Care Trend White Paper, funded by the Colorado Health Foundation and Rose Community Foundation, was incorporated in a recently published study analyzing self-reported verses claims-based services. The study, published in the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, showed a tremendous growth in the number of self-reported palliative care consults in Colorado between 2008-2013.

Medicare V-codes for palliative care represented approx. 25% of the self-reported number of consults in 2008, compared to approx. 33% in 2013. The authors conclude that it appears the use of the Medicare V-code is increasing, although it remains difficult to track the provision of palliative care consults and utilization of beneficiaries who receive them. CIVHC and the authors are hopeful that this research will increase awareness of palliative care, the importance of palliative care consults, and the need to systematically track utilization and outcomes of those receiving palliative care.

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What are bundled payments, and how do they help providers reduce waste and deliver better care?

Bundled payments were created by payers as a way to incentivize care coordination and excellent outcomes by providing one payment for all care before, during, and after a service. This type of payment structure encourages health care professionals to understand not only their own costs, but also work with other providers to ensure patients receive the best care throughout the episode.

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Vascular surgery patients have higher rates of readmission compared to ther surgical patients, and frequently require continued outpatient care following hospital discharge. This project is aimed at identifying patients receiving certain common vascular procedures and determining rates of readmission, costs of care, risk factors, and outpatient care received. Ultimately, UCHealth plans to use these data in designing an interventional study where more frequent outpatient care may prevent future readmission in high-risk patients.

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The Change Agent Series was previously called Spotlight on Innovation

It is estimated that by 2030, Colorado's population over the age of 65 will increase by 150 percent. Colorado is known for being an active state, and as the demographics of the population shift, the demand for costly joint replacement procedures is likely to grow. The Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association (PERA), a self-insured organization, is proactively addressing variation in joint replacement cost and quality through their PERACare Select Program for Hips and Knees

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We took a moment to chat with Kristin and Miranda on the CIVHC programs team, for our newest CIVHC status blog. Take a peek for things to know about CIVHC's palliative care team, the ways CIVHC is engaging in palliative care work in Colorado, and myths about palliative care.

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