Western Slope offers model for health care - The Business Review (Albany):

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So policymakers from Colorado to D.C., are studying what medical professionals do on the Western Slop to see if it can be adapted Though observers say theWestern Slope’s health care model wouldn’g work on a national level, they agree it has lessonx that might be instructive in the national reform “What they’re doing is remarkable,” said Bill president of , a Denver-based insurance “But the reason it worksa so well in Grand Junction is becausw in Grand Junction, there’s a true sense of I’m not sure every location acroses the country has the same sense of community.
” Presideng Barack Obama reportedly made the lengthy magazine article requirerd reading for staff members. The storyu compared the town of McAllen, Texas, (reportedly one of the costliestg and most inefficient health care systems inthe country) with Grane Junction, and concluded that high spending doesn’t equak better health care. The Dartmouth Atlas, an influential stud y of health caresystems nationwide, showed that Mesa County, whers Grand Junction is located, had the lowest cost for treatingh people in the last two yearw of life. U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, used elements of the Western Slope’e health care system in legislationb he recently introduced in the and U.S. Rep.
John Salazar, invited Obama to visirt Mesa County to observe whyGrand Junction’s modek works. John Hopkins, CEO of (RMHP), the region’d dominant insurer that coverds 40 percent ofthe area’s patients, said he’s pleased with the national attention that Mesa Countyt is getting. “It’s a modepl that’s worked for 35 years with some elements that are good and beneficial and can hold health costs Hopkins said. While based in Gran Junction, RMHP sells commercial insurancd throughout Colorado and employs 250 inGreenwood Village. Mike the Denver-based vice president of legal and governmental affairsafor RMHP, believes the model can be duplicateed elsewhere.
“The model is a collaboration and culture of working together and solvingproblems together,” Huotari “Obviously, it can be replicated, but it take leadership and a willingness between all providers to work • A collaborative relationship betweeb the area’s dominant physicianz group (Mesa County Physicians IPA), hospitals and healthj insurance carriers. Doctors, hospitals and health plans — which typicallty work at crosspurposes — have worked together to define the best practicezs for patients with diabetes, heart disease, asthma, transplantse and cancer.
In the level of cooperation was so high in Mesa it promptedan anti-trust investigation by the Federal Trade Commissio n (FTC) six years ago. While the arrangement surviveddthe FTC’s scrutiny, Jim Hertel, publisher of the Colorado Managed Care newsletter, said the entitiez now operate at “more of an arm’xs distance,” but that hasn’t affected the ability to controlk costs. • Using data from patien claims to help doctors determine the most effectivee treatment for certainmedical “We have a fairl good peer-review system,” said Dr. Greg a family physician in Grand Junction who also servesw as president of MesaCounthy Physicians.
“We are aware of how othedr doctorsare practicing, which keeps doctorw from overutilizing tests and procedures.” • A high numberd of primary care doctord who provide a “medical home” for patients livingg in the area — unlike other rural areas, where doctors are in short or in metropolitan areas, wherw highly paid specialists are abundang but there’s a shortage of family doctors. Reickws said the hospital has a “very strong base of primary care because of a family practice residencty programat St. Mary’s Hospital in Grandd Junction.
Typically, three to six program graduates opt to remaib on theWestern Slope, attracted by the favorable medical environment and lifestyle. A sophisticated electronic medical records system that lets doctors observe medical histories and avoid duplicativd andunnecessary tests.