Commonwealth Fund Case Study Points to 'Continuous Innovation' at Group Health C...( SEATTLE June 24 -- A The case st...),Health

SEATTLE, June 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A Commonwealth Fund case study notes that Group Health Cooperative is structured with incentives aligned "to launch innovations and organize services in ways that make the most sense operationally and clinically."

The case study -- along other profiles looking at medical systems that have the attributes the Commonwealth Fund has identified as necessary for a high performing health care system -- has been in the works for more than a year. Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis notes recent interest on Capitol Hill in cooperative structures, pointing to Group Health as a "shining example" of the model, while also praising other integrated systems.

"As the nation looks at how to create better health care, medical systems like Group Health that have pioneered a different approach, can provide some of the answers," said Group Health President and CEO Scott Armstrong. "Most important is setting up incentives that pay for quality care and keeping patients healthy rather than paying for the most care."

Here are the six attributes The Commonwealth Fund has identified, as experienced at Group Health:

Information Continuity

• Electronic health record (EHR) system across all group-practice sites with integrated best-practice alerts, decision supports, and electronic prescribing.
• Patient Web portal for online access to health information from the EHR, appointment scheduling, prescription refills, laboratory test results, and secure e-mail with clinicians.
• Electronic health
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