The Chautauqua County Health Network will be able to get a new initiative off the ground thanks to a $300,000 federal grant.
U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-South Buffalo, joined Chautauqua County hospital leaders and members of the Chautauqua County Health Network to announce the funding. The money, provided through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Rural Health Policy, Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement program, will support a new initiative by the Chautauqua County Health Network.
"The health care partners that make up Chautauqua County Health Network are leading the way in health innovation," Higgins said. "With the integration of health information technology and the use of collaborative medicine leaders here are lowering costs and delivering better outcomes for the residents in this great community."
Over the next three years, Chautauqua County Health Network will utilize 14 primary care practice teams, led by 35 physicians to implement diabetes and cardiovascular disease quality improvement initiatives. The project is aimed at reducing complications for 6,000 diabetics and 7,000 heart disease patients in Chautauqua County.
Health care providers will implement Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs for patients, use learning collaboratives to advance care and employ a common Electronic Patient Registry to track and report specific health indicators toward the goal of improving health outcomes among the population.
In addition to the health benefits to local residents, shared technology and more efficient service delivery are expected to reduce costs for local health care providers.
The grant will complement the Chautauqua County Health Network's ongoing involvement with HEALTHeLINK and the P2 Collaborative to improve the quality of care patients in Chautauqua County receive through the implementation of health information technology into all practice settings. The Recovery Act provided for more than $19 billion in funding for health information technology infrastructure improvements for hospitals and doctors. In addition, the Western New York health community, led by HEALTHeLINK, was recently awarded a "Beacon Community" grant - the largest nationwide at nearly $16.1 million - to fully integrate health information technology into care and treatment for patients with diabetes.
Established in 1995, the Chautauqua County Health Network is a partnership of Chautauqua County Hospitals with the mission to strengthen the local health and wellness delivery system.
The federal Rural Quality Grant Program is designed to assist rural primary care providers with the implementation of quality improvement strategies.