NC Projects Receive Health Care Innovation Awards

26 Programs Nationwide Will Save Estimated $254 Million, Improve Health Care

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the first Health Care Innovation awards, including three programs serving patients in North Carolina.

One program at Duke University received $9.8 million to reduce death and
disability from Type 2 diabetes. Asheville-based MAHEC (Mountain Area
Health Education Center) accepted $1.8 million to improve care for
chronic pain patients, resulting in better pain control, improved
health, and fewer hospital outpatient visits. The National Health Care
for the Homeless Council received $2.7 million to increase access to
primary care and reduce the number of emergency room visits for homeless
individuals in North Carolina and seven other states.

Made possible by President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, the
Affordable Care Act, the awards, totaling $122.6 million, will support
26 innovative projects nationwide that will save money, deliver
high-quality medical care, and enhance the health care workforce. The
preliminary awardees announced today expect to reduce health spending by
$254 million over the next three years.
“We can’t wait to support innovative projects that will save money and
make our health care system stronger,” said Secretary Sebelius. “It’s
yet another way we are supporting local communities now in their efforts
to provide better care and lower cost.”

The projects include collaborations between hospitals, doctors, nurses,
pharmacists, technology innovators, community organizations, and
patients’ advocacy groups in both urban and rural areas. This initiative
allows applicants to come up with their best ideas to test how to
quickly and efficiently improve the quality and affordability of health
care.  

Preliminary awardees were chosen for their innovative solutions to the
health care challenges facing their communities, and their focus on
creating a well-trained health care workforce that is equipped to meet
the need for new jobs in a 21st-century health system.
For more information about these awards, visit
http://innovations.cms.gov/initiatives/Innovation-Awards/Project-Profiles.html.
To learn more about other innovative models being tested by the CMS
Innovation Center, please visit: www.innovation.cms.gov.