CIVHC Newsletter | September 2018
Dollars and Sense: Not All Transparency is Created Equal
By Ana English, CIVHC President and CEO
In August, I had the honor to participate in a panel about health care transparency hosted by Colorado Healthcare Strategy and Management (CHSM). Not surprisingly, all of the panelists, myself included, believe in the power of transparency. However, what became clear during the discussion was that not all transparency is created equally, and the information and ways we make it available can and must differ depending on who is using it and for what purpose. Transparency has gained steam as a buzzword in recent years, but does everyone mean the same thing when they say they want transparency in health care?

Register Today!
CIVHC Connect: Dollars and Sense
Nov. 13, 8:30-4:30
Dollars and Sense is a day-long event featuring new data and analysis from local and national leaders in health care transparency and cost containment. View the agenda and learn more about the event by clicking below.
Advance Care Planning is More than Vegetable Talk
Five years ago, my father had a massive heart attack. Thankfully, he was rushed to the emergency room and straight into the intensive care unit (ICU). His condition was so bad that he was on more nitroglycerin than his nurse had ever seen and he had to wait in ICU for nearly a week while he stabilized enough for the doctors to perform a quintuple bypass. (Yeah, that says quintuple; they bypassed all of the arteries in his heart). Spoiler alert: he survived. But, what if something had gone wrong while he was on the operating table?
Plaintalk Blog
CO APCD Data Quality
Getting all of the claims into the CO APCD database and getting accurate data out to those we serve without errors requires multiple quality checks along the way. Our Data Quality Process document details the quality checks performed at each step, but since we may have already lost you, let's break it down into something more relatable - your favorite restaurant making that incredible cake you can't seem to resist.

Featured CO APCD Change Agent
Northwest Colorado Community Health Partners (NCCHP)
NCCHP is made up of community and safety net organizations, health care providers, and government agencies. Using the CO APCD, this organization looked at emergency department visits and potentially avoidable costs in order to reduce visits that could be treated in a different care setting such as a doctor's office or clinic.

Featured Community Change Agent
9HealthFair
Designed to foster healthy communities, 9Health offers programs and education to ensure every Coloradan has the opportunity and progresses toward making healthy, positive choices. To further the reach of their four decade long 9Health Fair program, 9Health implemented three additional initiatives focused on health literacy and access to care.

Next Chat: Brown University: Investigating Changes in Medicaid Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act

October 9, 12-12:30 pm - Register now!

Researchers at Brown University are using CO APCD data to evaluate the effect of policies in the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) on the stability of coverage among Medicaid beneficiaries in Colorado. They plan to characterize and understand the impact of policies on coverage stability, which could contribute to reductions in costs and improvement in the quality of care.
Other upcoming Chats:

  • Melissa Memorial Hospital: Patient Migration Analysis
  • October 15, 12-1 pm - Register now!
  • University of Colorado - Denver: The Role of Health Insurance in Access to New Medical Technologies
  • October 23, 12-12:30 pm - Register now!
Center for Improving Value in Health Care | Copyright 2018 CIVHC