Align. Measure. Peform. (AMP) Newsletter 
OCTOBER 2018
Welcome to the AMP newsletter!
The goal of the monthly newsletter is to keep stakeholders up to date about program changes and deadlines. The newsletter has three main content areas:
  • Need to Do, which will alert stakeholders to information and requirements for successful program participation, such as upcoming deadlines.
  • In Other News, which will share other program-related news, such as upcoming industry webinars or conferences.
  • In the Pipeline, which will provide a longer term view of upcoming key program dates.  
All  newsletters are archived in the Newsletters section of the IHA website, so you can easily find and share the latest program information.
Introducing Align. Measure. Perform. (AMP)

At the IHA annual Stakeholders Meeting earlier this month, we unveiled a new
look and name for IHA physician organization performance measurement programs. Going forward, our provider performance measurement programs will be known collectively as IHA's Align. Measure. Perform. (AMP) programs. The AMP programs are part of the Performance Measurement Collaborative, which brings together all IHA performance measurement efforts, including the California Regional Health Care Cost & Quality Atlas (Atlas) and AMP programs, to better highlight our commitment to industry collaboration, aligned measurement and incentives that enable performance improvement.

These changes incorporate valuable input solicited over the last year from many of you, including members of the IHA Board of Directors, committee members and program participants. We're really excited about these changes, which more clearly and effectively describe our expertise and commitment to health care that promotes quality improvement, accountability and affordability. While the way we refer to these programs has changed, our collective effort to generate rigorously objective and valid insights that increase accountability, drive performance improvement and align payment incentives to enable high-quality, patient-centered, affordable care remains at the core of what we do. Learn more here.
Need to Do
Respond to Pre-Intentions Survey & Register for Intentions Overview to Ensure Continued Participation in AMP Programs for Measurement Year 2018
In preparation for the annual intentions period, participating physician organizations (POs) and plans have received an email asking organizations to inform IHA of any structural organizational changes in calendar year 2018, including name changes, mergers, acquisitions and splits that may impact measurement year (MY) 2018 contracting and reporting. Physician organizations need to  respond to that email by Nov. 2 to help us prepare for the intentions period.
 
IHA's annual intentions process for POs to declare their intent to participate in measurement and reporting for the upcoming MY 2018 reporting cycle begins Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. During the intentions period, IHA requests that PO contacts populate information about PO health plan contracts in place in 2018. Additionally, this year, all participating POs must sign an updated Consent to Disclosure Agreement. To learn more about the intentions process and what is required of physician organizations and health plans participating in the AMP programs, join us for an introductory webinar on Nov. 15:

Webinar: AMP Intentions Overview for POs
Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018 | 12 - 1 p.m. PST
In Other News
IHA Stakeholders Meeting Presentations Available

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2018 IHA Stakeholders Meeting! More than 350 people  attended the Oct. 3 event to learn about the latest IHA projects, analysis of MY 2017 AMP Commercial HMO results, and breakout sessions on a variety of relevant topics. All presentations from the meeting are now available. 
High-Performing Physician Organizations Recognized
IHA recognized physician organizations that are top performers in performance improvement, clinical quality and patient experience during the Stakeholder's Meeting. Full lists of physician organizations recognized for their achievements can be found here. Congratulations to all of this year's honorees!


We look forward to recognizing this year's Excellence in Healthcare award winners in early 2019. Stay tuned!
In the Pipeline
M Y 2017 Total Cost of Care Results Coming Soon
MY 2017 appropriate resource use (ARU) and total cost of care (TCOC) results will be released in late November. Preliminary results will be subject to a three-week review before results are finalized for use in health plan incentive payments, public reporting and the Excellence in Healthcare Award. IHA staff  recognize that delays of this nature are disappointing and  are working with participating plans and program partners to minimize the impact of delays on program deliverables, but some delays may be unavoidable. We appreciate your patience and flexibility, and will communicate additional information over the coming weeks.
Office of the Patient Advocate Commercial Medical Group Report Card Release
Timed to coincide with open enrollment, the California Office of the Patient Advocate (OPA) will release the 2018-19 Edition of the Health Care Quality Report Card on Nov. 7, 2018. The report card rates clinical quality and patient experience for nearly 200 medical groups serving commercial plan members. After three years of research, analysis and planning, OPA is pleased to announce that this year's report cards will use a five-star rating system to align more closely with other consumer-facing rating systems. 
Final MY 2018 AMP Measure Sets & Specifications
The final MY 2018 AMP Program Manual, including MY 2018 measure specifications and value set directory, will be released Dec. 3, 2018 (as Dec. 1 is a Saturday). The final version reflects any changes made to the preliminary measure specifications as a result of comments received during public comment and applicable specification changes released by NCQA in the HEDIS 2019 Volume 2: Technical Specifications Update.
I HA Response to Public Comment
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2018 public comment period! The governing committees are reviewing and considering all comments received during the public comment period in their efforts to finalize the measure sets. A complete list of submitted comments and IHA responses will be available later this fall.
Integrated Healthcare Association
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