Transforming clinical practice

Thursday, March 01, 2018 12:32 PM

Colorado TCPi practices recognized nationally

by Matt Keelin, TCPi program manager

Practices that participate in the Colorado Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative (TCPi), a federally funded, governor’s office initiative, are continuing to be recognized for their work to curtail costs while maintaining or improving quality.

One practice, Denver Health, was honored during the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services national quality conference held Feb. 12-14, 2018, in Baltimore, Md. Another practice, SurgOne, PC, a Denver-based comprehensive surgery group, was highlighted in a federal CMS newsletter for cost-savings achieved with coaching and guidance from TCPI. They saved approximately $1,000 per case.

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the federal CMS has launched numerous programs and models to help health providers achieve large-scale transformation. Programs and models – such as the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program, Accountable Care Organizations, and the Partnership for Patients initiative with Hospital Engagement Networks – are helping clinicians and hospitals move from volume-based practices towards value-based and patient-centered health care services.

To date, there have only been small-scale investments in a collaborative peer-based learning initiative. The federal CMS estimates that about 185,000 clinicians currently participate in existing programs, models, and initiatives that facilitate practice transformation. This represents only 16 percent of the nation’s one million Medicare and Medicaid providers. While this is an increase over previous years, there is more work to be done.

TCPi supports efforts among medical group practices, regional health care systems, regional extension centers, and national medical professional association networks. These efforts 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.

Learn more about TCPi cost savings to date on the opposite page. Find more information about TCPi in Colorado at www.co.gov/healthinnovation/tcpi.