Through the years, BHCAG has used the collective force and influence of its membership base to drive change in the way health plans and providers report data along with the public’s access to that data, and to advance the development of reimbursement models and health plan design. The following programs were initiated by BHCAG and have been expanded to include influential health care purchasers, providers and political leaders.
Smart Buy Alliance: BHCAG was a founding member of the Smart Buy Alliance, which fostered improvement in health care delivery by aligning best-practice purchasing principles.
Choice Plus: In 1997, the Buyers Health Care Action Group launched Choice Plus, a bold initiative to reshape Minnesota’s problematic health marketplace by developing the first-in-the-nation direct contracting program between employers and physicians. Designed to foster greater consumer choice, increased provider competition and improved quality, employees can make better choices by using published consumer satisfaction survey results and price information to help them evaluate the value and quality of health care services they receive from their health care providers. Choice Plus was spun-off in 2001 and renamed Patient Choice. Today, Patient Choice products are offered by the Medica health plan.
National Data Cooperative: Launched in 2001, the National Data Cooperative was formed to provide BHCAG members with a cost-effective data warehousing tool, assist BHCAG employers in evaluating effectiveness of their health care spending, and help BHCAG employers measure collective success on progress towards BHCAG’s health reform strategies and tactics. The National Data Cooperative is now managed by Watson Wyatt and allows participants to integrate medical, pharmacy and eligibility data to analyze cost and quality information individually or in the aggregate. The information can be used by organizations for more effective program management and to identify needs, set strategies and measure success.
HealthFront: In partnership with area health care systems, BHCAG launched HealthFront, an organization aimed directly at engaging employees (and consumers in general) in health care initiatives, particularly programs that promote consumerism and quality. HealthFront is a distinct non-profit organization whose governance is composed of employers, consumers and health care providers. The HealthFront agenda is to increase consumerism in the Minnesota health care marketplace and, through the power of enlightened consumers, exert influence on quality of care. HealthFront is laying the groundwork to promote innovation in areas of clinical quality improvement, patient safety, consumerism and health care access.