VHAN recently received Cigna CAC performance results for PY21, and we are happy to announce that the network performed remarkably well compared to market and national rates across key measures. According to representatives from Cigna CAC, VHAN’s efforts to identify and list actions for preventive care initiatives and improvements, along with quality measure reports, patient outreach and best practice-sharing contributed to the favorable results. Read the article for a full list of VHAN’s achievements.

As we approach the last quarter of the year, it’s essential to focus on triple-weighted measures on your Medicare Advantage (MA) contracts. These measures—related mainly to medication adherence, diabetes control, blood pressure control—count more towards your performance than single weighted measures in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service’s (CMS) pay-for-performance Star Ratings system. Triple-weighted measures play a critical role in a health plan’s ability to earn four or more Stars, the threshold at which practices can achieve a higher proportion of shared savings dollars and quality bonuses. Learn more about how VHAN can help members succeed in these important areas.

To improve Erlanger Health System’s (EHS) AWV completion rate and deliver vital preventive care, the Erlanger Medical Group (EMG) quality team implemented an Annual Wellness Visit template and clinical education program in 2018. Since implementing the new process, Erlanger has experienced a year-over-year increase in total Medicare AWVs. Read the article to leverage best practices from the EMG quality team.

One in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. That’s a sobering statistic, and it’s one that compels members of Vanderbilt Population Health’s Quality Impact Specialists (QIS) Team to motivate patients to get their annual breast cancer screenings. By pairing new technology strategies with more efficient communications, last year the team achieved dramatic results in the number of patients scheduled for these screenings. Read the full article to find best practices your staff can use to increase screening appointments and meet this important quality benchmark.

VHAN’s Pamela Bruce, Director, Quality and Clinical Transformation, has joined the NAACOS Quality Committee. This committee evaluates quality initiatives and requirements related to ACOs, while focusing on the role of quality performance in population-based payment models. The NAACOS Quality Committee also works to develop and guide the NAACOS quality strategy as it relates to Medicare ACO models including the Shared Savings Programs and other payers with ACO contracts. Congratulations, Pam!

Antibiotics prevent millions of deaths each year, fighting bacterial infections that could otherwise lead to serious complications or even death. But after years of overuse and inappropriate prescription, various bacteria have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics. To ensure optimum use of antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), a team of physicians and pharmacists created the Vanderbilt Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (VASP). Learn more about the program’s successes in this case study.

At least 30% of outpatient-prescribed antibiotics are unnecessary, sometimes leading to ER visits for adverse drug events in patients of all ages. To increase the appropriate use of antibiotics and decrease the threat of antibiotic resistance, VHAN has launched a new Antibiotic Stewardship Program, focusing on Upper Respiratory Infections (URIs) in the first phase.

Coinciding with VHAN’s 10th anniversary, the third season of the miniVHAN podcast looks back at the unique vision for VHAN and how the network launched amidst a major transition in health care from fee-for-service to value-based care following the signing of the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

VHAN is pleased to announce that the network achieved 100% performance on all Aetna Commercial quality measures in 2021. VHAN members also scored higher than Aetna’s Q4 national average on several measures, including Breast and Colorectal Cancer Screening and Comprehensive Diabetes Care.