TMF Recognized as 2016 Business of the Year in Employing People with Disabilities
TMF has been recognized, along with other employers, by the Texas Workforce Commission as a 2016 Business of the Year in employing people with disabilities in the Austin/Central Texas region.
The award presented to TMF states: "Texas Workforce Commission honors your efforts and outstanding business practices in employing people with disabilities. We highly value your organization and strive to maintain a lasting and productive partnership.
"This recognition is very important to us and we are very honored to have received it," said Tom Manley, TMF president and CEO.
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TMF Recognizing
Hospitals for Achievement in Quality
Improvement
TMF Health Quality Institute, along with the Texas Hospital Association, Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals, Arkansas Hospital Association, Oklahoma Hospital Association and Oklahoma State University Center for Rural Health, has launched the 2016 - 2017 Hospital Quality Improvement Award program.
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Physician Practice Quality Improvement Award Program
TMF Health Quality Institute is honored to sponsor the Physician Practice Quality Improvement Award program in partnership with the Texas Medical Association, Texas Osteopathic Medical Association, Arkansas Academy of Family Physicians, Arkansas Osteopathic Medical Association, Oklahoma State Medical Association, Oklahoma Osteopathic Association and the Puerto Rico Medical Association.
The award recognizes physician practices for dedication and commitment to providing high-quality patient care.
Any practice in the state of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the territory of Puerto Rico with one or more licensed physicians providing care for Medicare fee-for-service patients is eligible to participate.
Award-winning practices will receive a commemorative plaque to display and will be recognized through a media campaign. Announcements will also be made at meetings and in journals.
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TMF Awarded Two Federal Health Care Improvement Contracts
Innovative projects will increase physician knowledge, involvement in treatment for depression, alcohol use and implementation of chronic care management
TMF Health Quality Institute is teaching physicians new and innovative methods of treating depression and alcohol use disorder as well as managing chronic care. In TMF's role as a Quality Innovation Network Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded TMF two new contracts to advance health care improvement initiatives.
"TMF is excited to expand our work with primary care physicians to help them focus on treating depression, alcohol use disorder and chronic care conditions among their Medicare beneficiary population," said Tom Manley, TMF president and CEO. "Participation in these special innovation projects will help improve the quality of care provided to these Medicare beneficiaries by focusing on care management methods as an integral component of practice operations."
Project ECHO
Based on the Project ECHO model, this project is designed to increase primary care physician knowledge of treatment for depression and alcohol use disorder. The Project ECHO model was founded by a physician in Albuquerque, NM and supported by the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. The model links experts and specialist teams at an academic hub with primary care clinicians in local communities.
Using telecommunications technology, experts and community physicians collaborate in weekly clinics and become part of a learning community. During the clinics, primary care physicians from multiple sites present patient cases to the specialist teams and to each other, discuss new developments relating to their patients and determine treatment. Through this method, physicians can develop additional skills they need to treat a particular condition. As a result, local physicians can provide comprehensive, best-practice care to patients with complex health conditions, right where they live.
In addition to using the Project ECHO method, TMF will provide technical assistance to help practices institute a team-based approach to behavioral health using the Mental Health Integration model. This model has mental health care integrated into everyday primary care practice. It involves mental health specialists working with the primary care physicians to implement individualized strategies for patients and their families. This method improves clinical decisions and allows patients and families to receive services within primary care.
Dell Medical School's Department of Psychiatry is partnering with TMF to assist with project interventions, working with 80 practices in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
Download this fact sheet to learn more about TMF's Behavioral Health Network. To join, create a free account and follow the prompts.
Chronic Care Management
TMF was awarded an innovation project focusing on increasing the number of primary care practices providing and billing for chronic care management (CCM) services for Medicare beneficiaries with two or more chronic conditions.
This is an education and outreach campaign to support primary care physician participation in the CCM program and provide technical assistance and resources to help 100 eligible billing practitioners in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas integrate CCM into their workflows.
The program involves a non-visit-based payment code for CCM services. This CCM payment method enables eligible clinicians to receive reimbursement when providing these Medicare beneficiaries with 20 minutes of non-face-to-face care coordination services a month.
To help increase the number of practitioners effectively implementing and providing CCM services to their patients, TMF's consultants will work with clinicians to identify eligible patients and to coordinate CCM with processes such as billing, documentation and service tracking tools. TMF will also provide educational tools, resources and events to support CCM efforts.
Participation in this project will improve the quality of care that recruited practitioners are providing to Medicare beneficiaries by focusing on care management as an integral component of practice operations in the management of patients with chronic diseases. As a result of participation, the goal is that practitioners will be better prepared for the implementation of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and Alternate Payment Models.
According to CMS, only 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries are receiving these valuable CCM services, despite 35 million being eligible for it, based on billing records as of October 2015. According to a 2012 CMS chartbook, within the Medicare program, beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions accounted for 93 percent of spending and 98 percent of all hospital readmissions.
Implementation of CCM will reduce the cost of care for participating Medicare beneficiaries as a result of 24-hour access to a consistent health care professional, reduce use of the emergency department, reduce hospitalizations and reduce hospital readmissions.
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TMF Innovation Team Reports on MACRA and Other Health Care News
TMF's recently created Innovation Team, led by Dr. Russell Kohl, TMF medical director, regularly compiles and produces information from a variety of sources to enlighten on timely actions and trends in health care. The team is comprised of creative problem-solvers and innovators who are also focused on improving TMF's current products and services.
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CMS Article Reports on AADE Recognition of TMF Diabetes Educator
In August, the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) brought together health care providers, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists and certified diabetes educators at its annual meeting to highlight best practices for improving diabetes care through education. At this year's event, AADE recognized Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program leaders for their efforts to improve the quality of care for persons with diabetes. TMF's Ardis Reed was honored as a Change Champion.
Click here to see the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) QIO News article.
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