Partnership Promotes Employee Health and Saves Money
Business Wire, July 22, 2010
MedEncentive Program Attracts Business and Medical Communities
OKEMOS, Mich. — Working together to help employees keep health costs down by making
healthy choices is the goal of the partnership between the Michigan
Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) and the Michigan Purchasers Health
Alliance (MichPHA) in support of the MedEncentive Program. The
MedEncentive Program is a healthcare incentive system that offers
employers, insurers and government a means to contain costs by engaging
both physicians and patients to cultivate better health and healthcare.
Through a unique system of financial incentives, MedEncentive creates an
atmosphere of mutual accountability for doctors and patients. Physicians
are rewarded for incorporating best medical practices and advancing
patient education and empowerment. Patients are rewarded for
demonstrating knowledge of their medical conditions and engaging in
self-management of their health. Doctors and patients must demonstrate
their performance to one another to earn the systems rewards. This
process of checks and balances creates both the motivation and means
to improve health and healthcare.
We believe MedEncentive provides an innovative solution at a time when
our state is in desperate need of new ideas, said MAFP President
Jennifer Aloff, M.D. The program offers a cost containment strategy
that does not interrupt the physician-patient relationship and in fact,
shows promise to enhance it.
While the economy still works to recover and state government and
employers struggle with the high costs of healthcare, MedEncentive
provides an opportunity for affordability without sacrificing care or
quality. Increasingly healthcare cost containment strategies rely on
harmful benefit cuts to patients or cutting rates to their doctors which
threatens their access to care. As a result of MedEncentives design,
the patient wins and the physician wins all while decreasing costs for
everyone.
After reviewing numerous quality improvement and cost containment
initiatives, our organization is convinced of MedEncentives viability,
added MichPHA Executive Director Marilyn Bell, R.N. A partnership
between the medical and business communities to promote this innovative
program is incredibly important.
About the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians
Founded in 1948, the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) is
dedicated to promoting excellence in health care and the betterment of
the health of the public. There are more than 94,600 family physicians
(or specialist in family medicine), family medicine residents and
medical students nationwide that are part of the American Academy of
Family Physicians. Of those, there are approximately 3,000 specialists
in family medicine in Michigan. (www.mafp.com)
About the Michigan Purchasers Health Alliance
The Michigan Purchasers Health Alliance (MichPHA) is a regional
not-for-profit tax exempt membership organization dedicated to
value-based purchasing (documented quality and competitive pricing) for
its members. Through the collective action of private and public
purchasers, MichPHA seeks to accelerate progress toward safe, efficient,
high quality, transparent and consumer-centered health care in the
region. MichPHA has 18 members representing over 25,000 employees in
Michigan
health insurance michigan
Partnership Promotes Employee Health and Saves Money
Business Wire, July 22, 2010
MedEncentive Program Attracts Business and Medical Communities
OKEMOS, Mich. — Working together to help employees keep health costs down by making
healthy choices is the goal of the partnership between the Michigan
Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) and the Michigan Purchasers Health
Alliance (MichPHA) in support of the MedEncentive Program. The
MedEncentive Program is a healthcare incentive system that offers
employers, insurers and government a means to contain costs by engaging
both physicians and patients to cultivate better health and healthcare.
Through a unique system of financial incentives, MedEncentive creates an
atmosphere of mutual accountability for doctors and patients. Physicians
are rewarded for incorporating best medical practices and advancing
patient education and empowerment. Patients are rewarded for
demonstrating knowledge of their medical conditions and engaging in
self-management of their health. Doctors and patients must demonstrate
their performance to one another to earn the systems rewards. This
process of checks and balances creates both the motivation and means
to improve health and healthcare.
We believe MedEncentive provides an innovative solution at a time when
our state is in desperate need of new ideas, said MAFP President
Jennifer Aloff, M.D. The program offers a cost containment strategy
that does not interrupt the physician-patient relationship and in fact,
shows promise to enhance it.
While the economy still works to recover and state government and
employers struggle with the high costs of healthcare, MedEncentive
provides an opportunity for affordability without sacrificing care or
quality. Increasingly healthcare cost containment strategies rely on
harmful benefit cuts to patients or cutting rates to their doctors which
threatens their access to care. As a result of MedEncentives design,
the patient wins and the physician wins all while decreasing costs for
everyone.
After reviewing numerous quality improvement and cost containment
initiatives, our organization is convinced of MedEncentives viability,
added MichPHA Executive Director Marilyn Bell, R.N. A partnership
between the medical and business communities to promote this innovative
program is incredibly important.
About the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians
Founded in 1948, the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) is
dedicated to promoting excellence in health care and the betterment of
the health of the public. There are more than 94,600 family physicians
(or specialist in family medicine), family medicine residents and
medical students nationwide that are part of the American Academy of
Family Physicians. Of those, there are approximately 3,000 specialists
in family medicine in Michigan. (www.mafp.com)
About the Michigan Purchasers Health Alliance
The Michigan Purchasers Health Alliance (MichPHA) is a regional
not-for-profit tax exempt membership organization dedicated to
value-based purchasing (documented quality and competitive pricing) for
its members. Through the collective action of private and public
purchasers, MichPHA seeks to accelerate progress toward safe, efficient,
high quality, transparent and consumer-centered health care in the
region. MichPHA has 18 members representing over 25,000 employees in
Michigan
health insurance michigan