Health Plan Reduces Unnecessary Hospital Visits in L.A. County by 93,000 through Innovations in Safety Net Care
LOS ANGELES – L.A. Care Health Plan, the largest publicly operated plan in the country, has successfully completed a federally funded program designed to help clinicians achieve large scale health care transformation and improve the quality of care.
In 2015, L.A. Care received a $16 million grant under the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative (TCPI) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The funding allowed the health plan to assist 3,200 primary and specialty care clinicians in improving care for their patients with diabetes and/or depression.
The four-year program produced more than 93,000 fewer hospital admissions and emergency room visits. For the clinicians caring for patients with diabetes, this program helped keep those patients healthier and out of the hospital, reducing costs by more than $197 million.
“L.A. Care is proud of the myriad ways this program has positively impacted L.A. County clinicians, our members and the community at large, providing the tools and support necessary to assist L.A. County safety net providers in running their practices,” said John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO. “This sort of innovation is exactly what helps us maintain and continually improve upon the high-quality care L.A. County has come to expect.”
L.A. Care was one of the top performers among 39 health care organizations who participated in the TCPI program. L.A. Care continues to participate in federal quality improvement initiatives as a Network of Quality Improvement and Innovation Contractor (NQIIC) prime awardee. This designation will allow NQIICs such as L.A. Care to pursue future CMS innovation programs to improve care quality in L.A. County.