CEO Message: February 2020

Dear Colleagues:

Hope you are all doing well and your year is off to a good start.

Thanks to all of you who attended the NEMG Quarterly Operations Meeting on Thursday, Jan. 30. We had an excellent turn-out of 104 people, and I would like to thank each of our presenters for their informative contributions.

Over the past two years, we have increased our efforts to provide high-value health care and have significantly increased our efforts to enhance clinical quality across NEMG. One of the most common conditions we see across our NEMG patient population is diabetes mellitus and I’d like to highlight some of the incredible work underway in FY20 related to the same led by Carrie Guttman, Judy Petersen-Pickett, Jeanette Bogdan, Robert McLean, MD, and others.

Through a new Diabetes Signature of Care program, we are aiming to make sure that every patient, at every encounter, receives a standard set of clinical interventions using an evidence-based pathway. An interdisciplinary team works hand-in-hand with point-of-care staff to develop a standard set of interventions. This initiative includes support from our care management team, and data analytics from our value team. As you know, our care management team is comprised of RN care coordinators who provide education, counseling, recommendations for testing and identification of additional needs including food insecurity or inability to pick-up medications from the pharmacy, coordinate after-care appointments and ensure appropriate screenings are completed.

I am excited to report that between October 2019 and Dec. 31, 2019, this initiative has made significant progress in improving care of our diabetics. We are closer to our target of achieving great control of HgbA1c - a marker for control of diabetes, and more than 350 patients have moved into control in the past quarter. Thank you. We hope to launch the Diabetes Signature of Care to all primary care locations by June 1, 2020 and will need all of your help to meet the quality goals we have set to take the best care of our diabetic patients.

My gratitude to you all for your diligent work and dedication to excellence in patient care.
 

Best wishes,

Prathibha Varkey, MBBS, MPH, MHPE, MBA President and Chief Executive Officer Northeast Medical Group