Comagine Health Press Releases

Salt Lake City — HealthInsight, a nonprofit, community-based organization dedicated to improving health and health care, has received a Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to support a project to enhance the integration of family caregivers into the health care of elders in Utah.

This work will be carried out by Christie North, MBA, Creating Quality, and Debra Scammon, PhD, Emma Eccles Jones Professor of Marketing, David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah. The project will focus on developing best practices for integrating family caregivers into the care teams of primary care providers for elderly patients with chronic conditions.

North and Scammon, both family caregivers themselves, want to help reduce the burdens on family caregivers who are relied upon to perform a variety of medical care tasks without adequate training. By partnering together, primary care providers and family…

Salt Lake City, Utah —HealthInsight’s Nevada and New Mexico affiliates, along with three other organizations, have been selected by the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI) to join its groundbreaking project that measures and reports on the total cost of health care (Total Cost of Care or TCoC) in regions across the nation.

NRHI is a national organization of regional health improvement collaboratives working to transform the U.S. health care system. The project is part of NRHI’s Getting to Affordability initiative, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and seeks to answer such critical questions as: What does health care cost in my community? Why does health care cost more in some places than others? and What’s driving the differences in costs for the same services or procedures?

HealthInsight Nevada, HealthInsight New Mexico, the California Healthcare Performance Information System…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has named HealthInsight as one of 10 recipients nationwide of a five-year cooperative agreement worth $6.8 million to expand coverage of and participation in the CDC National Diabetes Prevention Program. Through the National Diabetes Prevention Program, public and private organizations work collectively to build the infrastructure for the delivery of an evidence-based lifestyle change program for people with prediabetes or who are at risk for type 2 diabetes. The structured yearlong lifestyle change program focuses on long-term changes and lasting results.

HealthInsight is partnering with a broad array of groups to increase infrastructure and reach of in-person and online CDC-recognized organizations in 23 rural, underserved counties in New Mexico, Oregon and Utah. An emphasis will be on reaching priority populations, with specific focus on engaging Medicare beneficiaries, American Indian and Latino individuals. The…

Dunn appointed to provide strategic and operational leadership

Seattle, WA - Qualis Health, one of the nation's leading population health management organizations, has named Marie Dunn, MS, its Vice President of Quality and Safety Initiatives (QSI). Dunn brings more than a decade of healthcare leadership experience to Qualis Health, including significant work in the population health arena for Health Catalyst and The Advisory Board Company.

“As Qualis Health continues to excel at implementing initiatives to improve the quality and safety of healthcare across the United States, Marie’s substantial background in population health management will be an important asset,” said Jonathan Sugarman, MD, MPH, President & CEO.

Dunn is responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of QSI programs, including the Medicare Quality Innovation Network – Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) for Idaho and Washington State, the…

Salt Lake City  — In an innovative project funded through the Medicare program, HealthInsight is developing a multi-faceted training program to encourage primary care providers to use a tailored, patient-centered approach to managing chronic pain for patients age 55 and older. The goals are to reduce opioid-related hospitalizations, readmissions and emergency department visits of older patients; reduce the number of older patients with risky opioid prescriptions; and increase the number of clinics that adopt a screening and referral process for opioid use disorders.

HealthInsight received this Special Innovation Project (SIP) contract in its capacity as the Medicare Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) for Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah. The company’s Oregon-based affiliate will conduct the SIP, working with primary care clinics in rural Oregon.

Risky prescribing (including overprescribing) of opioids to treat chronic pain…

Las Vegas — Seven Nevada physician offices and 11 home health agencies are being honored for their commitment to improving and promoting patient-centered care next week.

HealthInsight, a nonprofit, community-based collaborative working to improve health and health care for patients and providers, will present the 2017 Quality Award to the recipients Nov. 7 and Nov. 9 at the HealthInsight Annual Quality Conference at the Oquendo Center in Las Vegas and the Whitney Peak Hotel in Reno.

The HealthInsight Quality Award Program was launched in September 2004 to promote transparency in health care. Through the award, HealthInsight aims to assist providers, improve care and help consumers be more active and informed participants in that care.

The HealthInsight Quality Award for High Performance in the physician office setting recognizes high-performing clinics who have achieved above the 75^th percentile benchmark on at least six clinical quality and/or…

Program Recognizes Excellence in Clinical Quality and Patient Care

Albuquerque—Nineteen home health agencies across New Mexico are being recognized today for their commitment to improving performance and promoting patient-centered care.

The HealthInsight Quality Award Program promotes transparency in health care. Since 2004, the program has recognized nursing homes, hospitals, home health agencies and outpatient medical practices and clinics in Utah and Nevada. This year, HealthInsight New Mexico and the New Mexico Association for Home & Hospice Care partnered to launch the program in our state. The inaugural home health awards were presented at the New Mexico Association for Home & Hospice Care 45th Annual Conference, held today in Albuquerque.

The award program recognizes outpatient practices through three levels: the Home Health Quality Award, the Certificate…

Former Swedish Health Services Chief Medical Officer brings vast physician leadership experience

Seattle, WA - Qualis Health, one of the nation's leading population health management organizations, has appointed John H. Vassall, MD, to the position of Physician Executive for Quality and Safety. Dr. Vassall brings more than three decades of experience to Qualis Health, including serving as Chief Medical Officer, Vice President for Medical Affairs and Chief of Staff at Swedish Health Services, the largest health system in the state of Washington.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Vassall to Qualis Health,” said Qualis Health President & CEO Jonathan Sugarman, MD, MPH. “As a passionate and widely respected advocate for healthcare quality and safety, he brings an extremely valuable perspective to those whom we serve, and to our team.”

As Physician Executive for Quality and Safety, Dr. Vassall provides strategic leadership, clinical…

Program Encourages Excellence in Patient Care

Albuquerque—Five New Mexico hospitals are being recognized today for their high performance on quality of care outcome measures and patient satisfaction.

The HealthInsight Quality Award Program promotes transparency in health care. Since 2004, the program has recognized nursing homes, hospitals, home health agencies and outpatient medical practices and clinics in Utah and Nevada. This year, HealthInsight New Mexico and the New Mexico Hospital Association partnered to launch the program in our state. The inaugural hospital awards were presented at the New Mexico Hospital Association’s 72nd Annual Meeting, which began today in Albuquerque.

The 2017 award recipients are:

• Gila Regional Medical Center – Silver City
• Holy Cross Hospital – Taos
• Lea Regional Medical Center – Hobbs
• …

HealthInsight Program Encourages Excellence in Patient Care

Salt Lake City — HealthInsight, a nonprofit, community-based health care consulting organization, working to improve health and health care for patients and providers, has announced two nursing homes and 45 physician offices as recipients of the 2017 HealthInsight Quality Award. The recipients have demonstrated excellence in providing quality care.

Nursing Home Quality Awards—HealthInsight will present the 2017 HealthInsight Nursing Home Quality Award to the recipients Sept. 12 at the Utah Health Care Association Fall Conference held at the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy, Utah.

HealthInsight Quality Award nursing home recipients had to rank* in the top 25 percent of performers in the nation, based on minimum data set (MDS) 3.0 Quality Measures from Nursing Home Compare, as well as…