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To the Johns Hopkins Medicine community
Dear Colleagues,
As we continue responding to changes in the health care industry, our intense focus on integration is key to addressing this transformation in a coordinated, efficient way that benefits our patients, operations and institution. The integration goals outlined in the Johns Hopkins Medicine Strategic Plan will help us manage our health care programs and financial risk as we become the model for an academically based, integrated health care delivery and financing system.
The three main principles guiding this priority are:
- Determining the right size and scope of our health care system in support of our tripartite mission. Our network of hospitals, community physician offices and health care providers must provide a sufficient array of services in the appropriate geographical areas to support our mission and our bottom line. We will expand our network and forge strategic relationships.
- Becoming more accountable for the cost and quality of care we provide. Payment models are changing. Payers—government, employers, insurance companies—are looking for "value" from the health care delivery system. Johns Hopkins Medicine will enhance its population health and payer capabilities to manage financial risk through our insurance organization, Johns Hopkins HealthCare. We will do this by expanding current programs, including Employer Health Programs, Priority Partners and the US Family Health Plan for military families. We will also be exploring new products in emerging markets and working with our delivery system to promote innovative new care models that offer more value.
- Increasing patient safety and quality. Johns Hopkins Medicine will adapt and innovate in health care delivery to increase safety, quality and access for our patients while lowering costs.
Here are two examples of how we are moving forward:
- Last year, we created an accountable care organization, Johns Hopkins Medicine Alliance for Patients (JMAP), comprising Johns Hopkins Medicine physicians and hospitals and three community-based provider groups that are delivering high-quality, coordinated care to patients on Medicare. Since January, through JMAP, we have been participating in a federal program managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that allows us to benefit from shared savings from better technology, coordination of care and incentives. As of August 2014, 36,000 Medicare beneficiaries are receiving the majority of their primary care services from JMAP providers.
- The Johns Hopkins Community Health Partnership (J-CHiP) continues to grow. Under this 2-year-old initiative funded by a $20 million federal grant, we are tackling the unique health challenges of an urban, impoverished community that often relies on costly visits to the Emergency Department. J-CHiP's focus is on two populations—patients discharged from The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, and the underserved, high-risk East Baltimore population in seven ZIP codes around the two hospitals. The care of these patients has improved, and we are working hard to ensure the sustainability of the program. You can read more about J-ChiP's impact in USA Today.
To learn more about the goals of the integration strategic priority, visit hopkinsmedicine.org/strategic_plan/integration.html.
Paul B. Rothman, M.D.
Dean of the Medical Faculty
CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Ronald R. Peterson
President
The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System
EVP, Johns Hopkins Medicine
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