The risk for diabetes is 66% higher among Hispanics and 77% higher among blacks than for whites.
Empire BlueCross BlueShield Earns NYSHealth Endorsement for Program Focused on Improving Care for Thousands Statewide
May 5, 2010
The New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) has endorsed Empire BlueCross BlueShield for Empire’s new Quality-In-Sights® Primary Care Incentive Program.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2010
Contact: David Nachtweih, 212-561-8730 ext. 229
EMPIRE BLUECROSS BLUESHIELD EARNS NYSHEALTH ENDORSEMENT FOR PROGRAM FOCUSED ON IMPROVING CARE FOR THOUSANDS STATEWIDE
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New Empire Program Rewards Physicians Who Deliver Better Health Care
April 20, 2010 (NEW YORK) – The New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) today endorsed Empire BlueCross BlueShield for Empire’s new Quality-In-Sights® Primary Care Incentive Program. The endorsement was given through NYSHealth’s Diabetes Incentive Program Endorsement, and was rewarded based on Empire’s emphasis on diabetes care, and the size and design of the rewards Empire provides.
Empire’s new program gives financial incentives to providers who deliver high-quality care and achieve positive patient outcomes. Providers earn credit toward incentives by meeting certain criteria outlined by Empire, and ample credits are available to those providers who meet nationally recognized diabetes care standards. It is expected that Empire’s new program will improve the care hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers receive, particularly those residents with diabetes.
“Initiatives like Empire’s are critical because we know that it helps physicians improve their care, which is essential to turn the tide on New York’s diabetes epidemic,” said Deborah Zahn, Director of NYSHealth’s Diabetes Policy Center. “We’re endorsing Empire today in recognition of its leadership on the issue of diabetes care, and we hope other health plans across the State will follow its lead and reward providers who deliver high-quality care to their patients with diabetes.”
Currently, 1.8 million New Yorkers have diabetes and another 3.7 to 4.2 million more have pre-diabetes. Empire covers 6 million New Yorkers, and an estimated 486,000 of its enrollees have been diagnosed with diabetes.
Empire’s Quality-In-Sights® Primary Care Incentive Program will add up to a 5% fee schedule increase to providers based on their performance on nationally endorsed, industry standard measures of quality, as well as on their ability to achieve national recognitions for quality, participate in quality improvement activities, adopt technology, and use generic drugs. Physicians and practices get ample credit toward incentives for meeting nationally recognized diabetes care standards, including the NationalCommitteeforQualityAssurance’s Diabetes Recognition Program and Bridges to Excellence’s Diabetes Care Link Program.
“We’re honored to receive NYSHealth’s endorsement for our physician incentive program and believe that our Quality-In-Sights® program will have a major impact on New York’s diabetes epidemic,” said Mark Wagar, Presidest and CEO of Empire BlueCross BlueShield. “We do a great deal of outreach to our members with diabetes and their providers, but we also recognize the importance of rewarding physicians who deliver high-quality care to their patients.”
"The serious health consequences and excess medical costs associated with the diabetes epidemic in this state are significant and promise only to worsen with the rising rates of obesity,” said William F. Streck, President and CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network. “Empire's program rewarding health care practitioners for effective diabetes care is a step in the overall effort to reverse the trend. Bassett has long track record of working to understand the health and wellness of our regional rural population, and appropriate interventions for diseases like diabetes are a key part of such efforts. The Empire BlueCross BlueShield diabetes incentive program recognizes such efforts and will help sustain high-quality diabetes care statewide."
Empire’s program was reviewed and scored by NYSHealth’s Diabetes Policy Center and national experts in incentive programs, Bridges to Excellence. The endorsement was the fourth given through the Diabetes Incentive Program Endorsement, which was developed to help consumers, providers, and employers identify the health plans that encourage the best diabetes care by offering the most effective provider incentive programs. The Diabetes Incentive Program Endorsement also helps health plans make improvements to their existing incentive programs. The other endorsed plans are Monroe Plan for Medical Care, Hudson Health Plan, and CDPHP.
The prevalence of diabetes in New York State has doubled since 1994, and that number continues to rise. In an effort to stem this growing epidemic, the NYSHealth launched the Diabetes Policy Center to promote policies that will sustain high-quality clinical care and health environments statewide. Through its five-year, $35 million New York State Diabetes Campaign, NYSHealth is committed to reversing the diabetes epidemic currently plaguing the State and to significantly improving the health of New Yorkers with diabetes.
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The New York State Health Foundation is a private Foundation dedicated to improving the health of all New Yorkers. NYSHealth has a three-part mission: expanding health insurance coverage, increasing access to high-quality health care services, and improving public and community health by educating New Yorkers about health issues and empowering communities to address them.
NYSHealth launched the $35 million five-year New York State Diabetes Campaign to reverse the diabetes epidemic in New York. The statewide Campaign is working to improve clinical care among primary care providers; mobilize communities to help people manage and prevent diabetes in places where people live, work, and worship; and promote policies that will sustain high-quality diabetes care.
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Press Release 
