2. 2
Mission
VHA Georgia, Inc. and Phoenix Health Care Management Services, Inc.
exist to bring excellent value to our members and owners by providing
synergistic services, information exchanges and collaborative initiatives
that help our health care organizations meet the growing challenges of
service to their communities.
~~ VHA Georgia exists to consistently deliver expert guidance and
solutions that drive exceptional performance through collaborative
power for the members we serve.
~~ Phoenix exists to create innovative services and solutions, best
achieved collaboratively, that deliver superior economic and
operational results to health care providers.
Vision
~~ VHA Georgia will be the pre-eminent, indispensable organization of
community-owned health care systems that collaborate to achieve
industry leading performance.
~~ Phoenix will be the pre-eminent, indispensable enterprise delivering
superior economic results.
Values
The principles guiding services that our staff provides to our members are:
Excellence – To exceed our members’ and customers’ highest
expectations through the continuous pursuit of excellence.
Results – To deliver outcomes that are indispensable and integral to
our members’ and customers’ success.
Integrity – To always deliver on our commitments and build all
relationships on honesty, trust and respect.
Service – To listen, create, execute and surpass member and
customer needs.
Teamwork – To collaborate internally and externally to succeed at
everything we do.
Innovation – To be visionary, creative and dynamic, strengthened by
the collective wisdom of our members and customers.
3. 3
Helping Members Navigate Health
Care Complexities
Throughout 2014, members of VHA Georgia and Phoenix actively pursued efforts aimed at improving quality of care and reducing costs as part of
their strategic work and operational practices. We are pleased to have been a part of those efforts by bringing members together to gain efficiencies of
scale—be it knowledge, purchasing volumes or shared services. Through a variety of programs and services built on bottom line improvement, clinical
and quality improvement, and the power of collaboration, members were able to learn, share, experiment and improve in a trusting environment
whereby participation resulted in better patient care and hospital performance.
VHA Georgia offered several improvement and learning councils and initiatives aimed at improving operational and clinical processes that positively
engaged physicians, staff and patients, enhanced clinical quality and safety metrics, and generated costs savings, cost avoidance and/or revenue
enhancements. Highlights included the development of a new Health Transformation Advisory Group, continued quality focus through the VHA HEN,
and a renewed focus on cost management. Additionally, VHA Georgia members benefited from major educational events, comparative benchmarking
reports and performance improvement solutions including advanced analytics and expertise through VHA Inc. Improvements made as a result of this
work included a positive financial impact for VHA Georgia members of over $58.8 million.
Phoenix Health Care Management Services offered additional opportunities for bottom line improvements. Through our Phoenix Committed Insurance
Program (PCIP), over 231,000 insurance policies were purchased in 2014. Georgia ADS offered a secure way to pool financing in addition to the group
purchase of stop-loss insurance. HSI Financial Services continued to improve and contribute to our members’ success by collecting $11.1 million
for its clients in 2014. Finally, Georgia Medical Resource Pool (GMRP) continued to meet staffing needs and requests by providing 37,914 hours of
contingent staffing to its customers. Combined, Phoenix participants documented value of just over $36 million through participation in these
companies, as well as our regional contract portfolio.
In addition to regional activities, VHA Georgia members also reported a documented value of $29.2 million through national supply chain and service
offerings. All told, we are pleased to report over $124.1 million in bottom line improvements for 2014. As health care complexities continue to arise
and evolve, VHA Georgia and Phoenix exist to serve and will proudly continue to provide solutions, expertise and a trusting environment to assist all
members in their journeys to provide high quality, affordable, local health care to the communities they serve.
Philip R. Wolfe, FACHE
President and CEO
Gwinnett Health System, Inc.
Chair, VHA Georgia, Inc.
Richard T. Howerton, III, FACHE
President and CEO
VHA Georgia, Inc. and Phoenix Health Care
Management Services, Inc.
Total Savings
$124.1 Million
J. Perry Mustian, FACHE
President and CEO
Archbold Medical Center, Inc.
Chair, Phoenix Health Care Management Services, Inc.
4. 4
Discovering New Ways to Improve
Quality of Care
Advisory Services, Analytics, Collaboration & Expertise
While VHA Georgia serves as a local presence to provide services
specific to the needs of its members, a relationship with VHA Inc. allows
us to leverage national opportunities that provide further economies
of scale. VHA national programs combine the best of national strength
and local presence to provide meaningful solutions for its members.
World Class Solutions
Analytics
With VHA’s industry-leading suite of business intelligence solutions,
VHA LYNX™ helps you increase savings and improve supply chain and
operational performance.
Consulting
Members have access to more than 250 experts in a wide range of
health care performance consulting specialties, including supply chain,
clinical and financial.
Contracting
Benefit from the best group purchasing organization in the country –
Novation. With the largest purchasing volume in the industry, Novation
has just under $50 billion in annual purchases and in partnership with
VHA Inc., gives you access to the lowest prices, highest quality and
broadest portfolio of supplies, pharmaceuticals, capital equipment and
purchased services.
Expertise
We invest in people who are skilled advisors to hospital staff and
executives alike, and who excel in all health care environments along
the continuum of care.
Performance Improvement
VHA IMPERATIV® combines vital information with expert advisory
services, proprietary knowledge resources and collaborative
networking.
Revenue Cycle Management
Through relationships with industry leaders, VHA offers revenue
management and technology services that will help you vastly improve
payment cycles and reimbursement models.
Through a variety of programs, group buy opportunities and regional
supply networks, VHA Georgia members documented $29.2 million in
savings in 2014 as a result of the various opportunities listed below:
Capital Group Buys – $2,051,723
Cash Distributions – $13,884,665
Performance Services – $4,027,221
Purchased Services – $2,002,869
Standardized Programs – $3,822,182
Supply Networks – $3,437,410
$29.2 Million
5. 5
VHA Hospital Engagement Network (HEN)
VHA’s Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) is part of the federal Partnership
for Patients (PfP) initiative and is the third largest in the country.
In 2014, the VHA HEN had just under 200 participating hospitals that
continued to improve in 10 areas of focus including adverse drug
events, early elective deliveries, falls, hospital acquired infections and
readmissions. Of the total number of participating hospitals, 10 were
part of the VHA Georgia HEN, all of which met or exceeded the goals
set forth by the initiative. One of the VHA Georgia HEN members, Grady
General Hospital, was recognized several times for their success with the
program. The award-winning team is pictured below.
VHA Leading Practice Blueprint®
The blueprint, a proprietary VHA methodology, highlights leading
practices at individual hospitals through detailed, easy-to-understand
visual depictions and supporting narrative on proven processes. Helping
to drive cultural change and improve patient care, blueprints transform
leading practices into something easily shared and replicated across VHA’s
membership. Current blueprints cover topics such as care coordination,
clinical management/quality, patient safety, patient experience, supply
management, green health and population health management.
VHA Georgia members blueprinted in 2014 include:
~~ Athens Regional Health System for reducing surgical site infections in
cardiac surgery
~~ John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital for successfully preventing
Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP)
~~ Northeast Georgia Health System for their success in managing their
health populations and for preparing patients for the responsibility of
owning their own health care
~~ WellStar Health System for their success with implementing evidence-
based orders for blood utilization as it relates to the safety and quality of
care of blood management and also for eliminating preventable harm
VHA Georgia’s HEN Named Collaborative
of the Year
As part of VHA Inc’s Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) and the
federal Partnership for Patients (PfP) initiative, the VHA Georgia
HEN surpassed established goals which were to improve in 10 of
11 areas of focus ranging from falls and surgical site infections
to readmissions. They were also tasked with reducing hospital-
acquired conditions by 40 percent and readmissions by 20 percent.
VHA Georgia HEN members contributed to this success by
demonstrating an outstanding commitment to the Partnership
for Patients initiative by reporting data at the highest level across
all areas of focus and as such, received Gold and Platinum
Awards. All VHA Georgia HEN members were also highlighted in
VHA’s HEN Quarterly Honor Roll for outstanding performance.
Athens Regional Health System and Grady General Hospital were
featured as VHA HEN success stories by the Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services (CMS), and three VHA Georgia HEN
members were blueprinted as leading practices and were
also selected as mentor organizations. They included Athens
Regional Health System, John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital
and Northeast Georgia Health System. As a further honor, Dr.
James L. Moore, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
of Athens Regional Health System and Karen Watts, MSN, RN,
NEA-BC, Vice President of Patient Care Services of Northeast
Georgia Health System were also asked to serve as advisors.
Congratulations to the VHA Georgia HEN for documenting
$13, 221,021 in cost avoidance/savings for 2014 and $14,339,671
over the entire 3-year HEN engagement! As a result of their efforts
and leadership, they are VHA Georgia’s Collaborative of the Year!
Crystal Ramm, RN, MSN
Administrator/Director of Nursing
Grady General Hospital
“Archbold’s system-wide collaboration with VHA has helped
our hospitals implement and improve processes for the
patients we serve in many ways. At Grady General Hospital,
our VHA partnership allowed us to receive on-site visits from
both nurses and physicians. As a result of VHA’s education
and on-site peer-to-peer guidance, we have been able to
engage not only our frontline staff, but also our physicians in
many of the health system’s quality improvement projects—
an essential component necessary to achieve a high level of
success. The support from VHA provided
through networking and best practices
was a true asset to our success.”
Pictured L to R: Vicky Jenkins, RN, BSN; Crystal Ramm,
RN, MSN; and Julie Dumas, RN, BSN – Grady General
Hospital HEN Team Leads
6. 6
VHA Georgia brings members together to exchange ideas, learn best
practices, benchmark performance and leverage economies of scale. In
doing so, members are able to succeed more effectively and efficiently
than they otherwise would independently. These collective efforts
demonstrate VHA Georgia’s power of collaboration.
Blood Management Collaborative
Launched in 2012 under the direction of leading practice organization
WellStar Health System, 100 percent of the membership participated
at one time or another in the collaborative, with many organizations
using the knowledge learned to implement blood management
programs at their own facilities. This included the restructuring of
blood committees, identifying physician champions and educating
physicians and staff on evidence-based practices. New protocols, order
sets and transfusion guidelines were then established. Other factors
that contributed to the savings were reductions in other blood costs
including storage, additional products and staffing, as well as improved
infection prevention and reduced complications.
In 2014, VHA Georgia started reporting data via bi-monthly meetings,
the results of which have led to member facilities more consistently and
appropriately collecting blood transfusions and managing the reduction
of unnecessary transfusions and/or preventable complications. Of
the participating members, three hospitals regularly lowered their
transfusion ratio over three calendar years.
With the overall goals being to improve the health and safety of the
patient population and to reduce the costs associated with avoidable
transfusions, many VHA Georgia members have successfully made
improvements or are well on their way to implementing changes, with
a total reported savings for 2014 of $3,829,822.
Palliative Care Collaborative
As the population ages and is experiencing the impact of chronic diseases,
palliative medicine is increasingly being recognized as a way to improve
patient care and to save valuable hospital resources. Palliative care
programs are rapidly becoming an essential partner in transitions of care.
In response, the VHA Georgia Palliative Care Collaborative provided
members the opportunity to participate with a network of hospitals
and subject matter experts as they learned the building blocks of
designing and implementing a new program based on standards
and leading practices. The collaborative also engaged hospitals and
systems with current programs as they explored ways to improve
their programs, to increase referrals and to expand into outpatient
services. Quarterly webinars were offered that focused on legislative
and payment challenges related to palliative care, as well as provided
insight into developing the clinical and business case for palliative
medicine. Members shared solutions to challenges as they routinely
reviewed the collaborative dashboard and highlighted improvements
by leading practice organizations. In 2014, the Palliative Care
Collaborative reported $5,176,918 in cost avoidance/savings.
Working Together to Solve Common
Challenges
Performance Improvement
Tim Adams, RN
Palliative Care Director and Medical
Oncology & Infusion Therapy Manager
Floyd Medical Center
Kenny Lowery, M.Ed., MT (ASCP)
Director, Laboratory Services
Hamilton Health Care System, Inc.
“The VHA Georgia Palliative Care and Readmission
collaboratives provided the opportunity to learn about varying
approaches for meeting the needs and finding solutions for
program leaders, clinical staff, patients, family members,
administrators and organizational leaders. Additionally, the
collaboratives provided an opportunity for open dialogue,
education on best practices and care delivery and resourcing
models—all from a point of view based in real-life experience.
Our efforts, particularly in the Palliative Care Collaborative,
have brought reduced lengths of stay and a six-figure cost
avoidance that stand on their own. But at the end of the day, it
is the networking and sharing of knowledge that makes a daily
difference in our hospital.”
“Through participation in the VHA Georgia Blood Collaborative,
Hamilton Medical Center was able to reduce the utilization
of blood products and avoid preventable complications. By
sharing information among members of the collaborative,
we were able to implement new protocols, order sets and
transfusion guidelines. We also learned how to improve
our reporting process to make better use of our data and
improve outcomes."
7. 7
Readmissions Collaborative
Hospitals are continually challenged with reducing avoidable 30-day
readmissions, especially with high risk and chronic disease populations.
VHA Georgia’s Readmissions Collaborative provided an interactive
environment to learn from subject matter experts and leading practices
to enhance work already in progress on these initiatives. Evidence-based
driver diagrams and VHA Leading Practice Blueprints® were used to
identify key components for successfully addressing readmissions.
These tools also enabled members to assess their current status and to
identify gaps for improvement. Based on common opportunities, the
collaborative focused on organizational processes and accountability for
improvement, medication reconciliation and management, teaching and
motivating a patient’s effective self-care, and discharge transitions related
to long-term care facilities. Additionally, a collaborative dashboard was
used to track and compare improvements among participants and to drive
discussions around challenges and successes.
By building upon existing work and implementing new improvements,
members of the Readmissions Collaborative realized a cost avoidance/
savings of $3,595,902 for 2014.
Navicent Health is a designated Level I Trauma Center and is
one of 130 hospitals worldwide to achieve its third designation
as a Magnet® hospital for nursing excellence. It provides a broad
range of community-based, outpatient diagnostic, primary care,
extensive home health and hospice care, and comprehensive
cancer and rehabilitation services. A premier teaching hospital,
Navicent Health serves the surrounding communities of Central
and South Georgia.
Over the past year, Navicent Health was actively involved in
VHA Georgia’s Palliative Care Collaborative. By serving as a
leading practice organization, they helped members improve
upon their current programs by sharing the success they
have had within their own hospital system—specifically, how
they have integrated care, population health and palliative
care by focusing on how their patients could find relief from
the symptoms, pain, stress and suffering caused by serious
illnesses. As a result of their efforts, Navicent Health realized
$4.5 million in savings for 2014.
Not only have other members benefited from this collaboration,
but Navicent Health has as well. By coming together and sharing
experiences among peers and learning about new programs
from experts in the field, everyone takes away valuable
information that they can use to make improvements in their
own organizations.
“VHA Georgia has always kept us informed of research related to
palliative care. By bringing in leading practice experts, they have
helped us learn more about the outpatient side of palliative care,
as well as the many programs available to help us continually
improve in this area,” said Carol Babcock, MFT, Manager of The
Center for Palliative Care, Navicent Health.
Going forward, Navicent will continue to participate in other
VHA Georgia educational programming, as everyone works
toward solving the common challenges many hospitals are
now facing in health care.
Navicent Health Leads the Way in
Palliative Care
Jessica White
Director of Quality & Performance
Improvement
John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital
“Participating in the VHA Georgia Readmissions Collaborative
provided the starting point we needed to launch our initiative.
As a result, our team implemented a risk for readmission
assessment and modified the medication reconciliation
process. These changes have allowed us to better identify and
respond to patients who are at high
risk for readmissions.”
8. 8
Working Together to Solve Common
Challenges
Networking & Education
VHA Georgia offers numerous council networks, an online 24/7 forum,
regional initiatives and educational conferences. Participating in these
programs fosters learning and development by connecting you to thought
leaders, industry experts and leading practices. They also facilitate dialogue
among peers who are experiencing—or have solved—similar challenges.
~~ Blood Collaborative – $3,829,822
~~ CFO Council Initiatives – $51,419
~~ Charge Audit Council Initiatives – $7,435,254
~~ CIO Council Initiatives – $1,099,598
~~ CNO Council Initiatives – $289,031
~~ Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) Initiatives – $13,221,021
~~ Home Health & Hospice Council Initiatives – $3,323,751
~~ HR Council Initiatives (also contributed to PCIP Savings) – $925,431
~~ Infection Prevention Council Initiatives – $936,597
~~ Lean Six Sigma Program – $3,087,992
~~ Palliative Care Collaborative – $5,176,918
~~ Patient Safety Initiatives – $5,155
~~ Performance Improvement & Quality Council Initiatives – $293,683
~~ Pharmacy Council Distribution Regional Enhancement – $3,196,027
~~ Pharmacy High Impact Contract Launches – $1,068,017
~~ Physician Practice Management Council Initiatives – $838,575
~~ Radiology Council Initiatives – $25,637
~~ Readmissions Collaborative – $3,595,902
~~ Respiratory/ICU Council Initiatives – $20,159
~~ Revenue Cycle Management/Managed Care Council Initiatives –
$1,246,039
~~ Supply Chain Regional Enhancements – $8,625,427
~~ Supply Chain Medical/Surgical High Impact Contract Launches – $223,826
~~ VHA Georgia Co-Op Cash Distribution – $296,834
$58.8 Million
Thank You Council Chairpersons
A vital part of our councils, the chairperson’s role is to assist the
council coordinator in planning and leading meetings, as well as
giving direction on how to best engage council members to work
toward a common goal.
VHA Georgia would like to thank the following chairpersons for
their leadership in 2014!
~~ Amy Yost, Northside Hospital–Forsyth, Cardiology Leaders Council
~~ Lisa Thomas, Hamilton Health Care System, Inc. and Kamela
Sooknanan, WellStar Health System, Case Management Leaders Council
~~ Rhonda Perry, Navicent Health, CFO Leaders Council
~~ Wendy Allen, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, Charge Audit
Leaders Council
~~ Guy McAllister, Tift Regional Medical Center, CIO Leaders Council
~~ Elizabeth Gunn, Southeast Georgia Health System and Amy Cason,
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, CNO Leaders Council
~~ William Peterson, Phoebe Putney Health System, Inc., Human Resources
Leaders Council
~~ Dr. William Guest, Tift Regional Medical Center, HTAG
~~ Nancy Osborn, Navicent Health, Infection Prevention Leaders Council
~~ Tripp Layfield, Columbus Regional Health, Legal Defense Forum
~~ Tom Lynch, Gwinnett Medical Center, Managed Care Leaders Council
~~ Melissa Anderson, Navicent Health, Pharmacy Leaders Council
~~ Dr. Willie Cochran, Southern Regional Medical Center; Dr. Bill Guest,
Tift Regional Medical Center; Dr. William Farr, University Health Care
System and Dr. Reg Gilbreath, DeKalb Regional Health System,
Physician Leaders Council
~~ Melissa Cornwell, WellStar Health System and Heidi Nelson, University
Health Care System, PI, Quality and LSS Leaders Council
~~ Daniel Bosarge, Floyd Medical Center, Physician Practice Management
Leaders Council
~~ Twilla Hulett, Navicent Health, Radiology Leaders Council
~~ David Ellwanger, Southern Regional Medical Center and Robin Godwin,
Archbold Medical Center, Inc., Respiratory/ICU Leaders Council
~~ Teresa Prevost, Floyd Medical Center, Revenue Cycle Management
Leaders Council
~~ Bill Foley, DeKalb Regional Health System, Supply Chain Leaders Council
William Peterson
Assistant Vice President
Human Resources
Phoebe Putney Health System, Inc.
“Participating in VHA Georgia’s Human Resources Council
has been very beneficial and a good resource to learn about
what other members are challenged with, to collaborate and
to also share best practices. Additionally, the 24/7 Forum has
been a great tool to continue dialogue
and ask questions in between face-to-
face meetings.”
9. 9
Leadership Awards Program
In addition to bringing members together for networking and education,
VHA Georgia likes to recognize and reward those members that have
achieved success as a result of participation. The Leadership Awards
Program also serves as a means to share their success with others.
Every year, members submit their recent success stories through a
leadership application process as part of our Leadership Awards Program.
This prestigious awards program recognizes VHA Georgia members
that have exhibited extraordinary levels of performance by successfully
implementing improvements within their organization.
In 2014, 65 applications were submitted, and 52 members participated
in the peer review process to help determine the top three applications
in each bed size category.
All 65 projects were shared at our annual Leadership Expo via a poster
session where everyone’s success was celebrated, award winners were
announced and peer reviewers were recognized.
A complete list of previous years’ winners can be found on our website at
www.vhageorgia.com, as well as a listing of leading practice case studies.
Chris Hobbs, RN
Manager, Emergency Department and ICU
Perry Hospital/Houston Healthcare
“It was an honor to be recognized at VHA Georgia’s 2014
Leadership Expo. The application process was smooth, and
we enjoyed learning about leading best practices from other
member organizations during the poster
session at the event.”
2014 Leadership Award Program Winners
Congratulations to all of the hospitals that submitted winning
entries to our 2014 Leadership Awards Program!
Category: 0-49 Beds (Acute and Non Acute Facilities)
~~ 1st Place: Houston Healthcare (Perry Hospital) – “Increasing
Patient Satisfaction and Throughput in the Emergency
Department with Immediate Bedding”
~~ 2nd Place: Floyd Medical Center (Limb Preservation Clinic) –
“Outcomes of a Nurse Practitioner Driven Limb Preservation
Clinic in Northwest Georgia”
~~ 3rd Place: Southeast Georgia Health System (Camden Campus) –
“Improving HCAHPS: One Patient at a Time”
Category: 50-149 Beds
~~ 1st Place: Grady General Hospital – “Birth of a New Early
Elective Delivery Rate”
~~ 2nd Place: WellStar Douglas Hospital – “Stabilization of the
Sick Newborn”
~~ 3rd Place: WellStar Douglas Hospital – “Surge Protection:
Overcoming Throughput Barriers in the Hospital Macro System”
Category: 150-349 Beds
~~ 1st Place: Floyd Medical Center – “Reducing Sepsis Mortality”
~~ 2nd Place: Hamilton Health Care System, Inc. – “NICU
Multidisciplinary Rounds”
~~ 3rd Place: Southeast Georgia Health System (Brunswick
Campus) – “Minimizing Complications and Improving Maternal
and Newborn Outcomes: Reducing Elective Deliveries After 37
Weeks and Before 39 Weeks of Gestation”
Category: Greater than 350 Beds
~~ 1st Place: Navicent Health – “Embedded Infection Preventionist
in the OR”
~~ 2nd Place: WellStar Kennestone Hospital – “COPD Care
Management Across the Continuum”
~~ 3rd Place: University Health Care System – “Sweet Success
Diabetes Program”
10. 10
Phoenix Health Care
Management Services, Inc.
Benefits of Scale
Phoenix Health Care Management Services, Inc. offers VHA Georgia
members creative solutions to achieve economies of scale including
shared risk, enhanced pricing and documented savings.
In 2014, the Phoenix companies reported $36,063,119 in total
documented savings.
~~ Georgia ADS, LLC – $13,972,510
~~ Georgia Medical Resource Pool, LLC – $249,553
~~ HSI Financial Services, LLC – $11,097,421
~~ Phoenix Committed Insurance Program, LLC – $2,289,408
~~ Phoenix Co-Op Cash Distribution – $372,084
~~ Phoenix Regional Contracts – $8,082,144
Georgia ADS, LLC
Georgia ADS, LLC is a medical claims financing and stop-loss prevention
program for the self-insured claims generated by members’ employees
and dependents.
2014 highlights included:
~~ The highest penetration of Phoenix stockholders (95 percent)
~~ Reduced costs associated with catastrophic claims by sharing
claims financing
~~ Significantly reduced stop-loss premiums
~~ Increased participant cash flow and the ability to manage annual
claims expenses
~~ The power of 53,000 employee covered lives and 111,000 total lives
~~ The option to purchase unlimited stop loss coverage above the
program’s $2M base coverage
Since its inception in 1991, Georgia ADS participants have jointly
financed over $154 million in claims and have documented more than
$95 million in value for stop-loss premium and administrative costs.
For 2014 alone, Georgia ADS provided total documented value of
$13,972,510 in savings to members.
Georgia Medical Resource Pool, LLC
Georgia Medical Resource Pool (GMRP), LLC, certified in health care
staffing services by The Joint Commission since 2005, offers health care
organizations a variety of human resource solutions. The company
also provides temporary staffing or short- and long-term assignments,
a vendor management service program to consolidate workforce
support, workforce management technology and consulting services.
By using GMRP’s services, health care organizations realize bottom line
cost savings over using alternative health care staffing agencies and are
guaranteed quality health care professionals for all aspects of clinical
and administrative operations including nursing, allied and health
information management.
In 2014, GMRP provided over 37,914 hours of contingent staffing,
reflecting 3,588 shifts worked by 84 health care professionals. Savings
for the year totalled $249,553.
2014 operational highlights included:
~~ Renewed accreditation by The Joint Commission with certification in
Healthcare Staffing Services. GMRP received 100 percent compliance
as a result of the on-site review. In addition to receiving recognition for
the gold standard for quality in all categories, there was a 5 percent
reduction in annual professional liability insurance premiums – a cost
savings benefit to members.
~~ Continued participation in the Drug Free Workplace program. In addition
to continuing education for employees, participation in this program
nets a 7.5 percent savings on annual worker’s compensation premiums.
~~ Continued use of social media (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) to assist
with recruiting efforts and to provide company updates.
$36.1 Million
11. 11
Health Care Management Services, Inc.
HSI Financial Services, LLC
HSI Financial Services (HSI), LLC offers innovative solutions for
managing and resolving health care accounts receivable. For over
a quarter of a century, HSI has been committed to developing and
providing solutions designed to maximize net return, improve cash
collections and optimize revenue performance, all while maintaining
the utmost integrity and customer service to the patient community.
2014 offerings included:
~~ Bad debt collections
~~ Virtual Business Office self-pay services (early-out business office)
~~ Insurance follow-up
~~ Payment plan monitoring services
~~ Legal collection services
~~ Strategic partner alliances
– ARxChange: Provides analytical guarantor scoring and
guaranteed funding solutions for accelerated cash
– Accelerated Claims: Motor vehicle claims collection solutions
– Nemadji: Medicare and Medicaid Recovery solutions
– Triage: Zero balance and underpayment claims review
– MCare: Transfer DRG recovery services
Total documented value for 2014 was $11,097,421. Since its inception,
HSI has realized $1.4 billion in cash recoveries.
Phoenix Committed Insurance Program, LLC
The Phoenix Committed Insurance Program (PCIP) was created as a group
benefit purchasing program in 2005 to provide VHA Georgia members
an opportunity to take advantage of discounted pricing, rate guarantees
and value-added services through volume purchasing. PCIP, through
its partnership with the Lockton Companies, currently offers insurance
and other programs for group term life insurance, supplemental life and
disability insurance, long- and short-term disability, accidental death and
dismemberment, dental insurance, vision insurance, pharmacy benefit
management, dependent eligibility verification, absence management,
employee health risk management and benefits communication
insourcing, as well as benefit advisory services.
Since its inception, PCIP has saved VHA Georgia members over $38 million
in lower premiums and generated $7 million in cooperative earnings and
cash for members by servicing over 231,000 employee policies.
Highlights from 2014 included:
~~ PCIP served 15 member organizations in 2014 and saved those
members a total of $2,289,408 plus provided them over $300,000 in
Phoenix Co-Op Cash Distributions.
~~ PCIP renewed its group life and disability program effective January 1,
2014 with CIGNA providing premium savings to VHA Georgia members
of over $2.4 million over the next four years. In 2014, CIGNA called for a
5% decrease in rates; however, PCIP and Lockton were able to negotiate
an even better 9% rate decrease, with a guarantee to remain at 2014
levels through December 31, 2017.
~~ The first ever Health Care Workforce Benefits Conference was held in
April 2014 with over 40 participants learning about the latest trends
in health care benefits and plan design, health care reform and the
Affordable Care Act, health plan exchanges, the value of population
health and the Piedmont-WellStar Health Plan story. Additionally,
attendees gained a better understanding of the changing face
of the workforce in Georgia. PCIP, Georgia ADS and the Lockton
Companies have joined forces to develop future events, and given
the overwhelming success in 2014, another conference is planned for
April 2015.
Phoenix Regional Contracts
As part of Phoenix Health Care Management Services, Inc., Phoenix
Regional Contracts are agreements that provide discounted programs
and services to members.
New regional contracts in 2014 included:
~~ Care Logistics, LLC – An amendment to the previous agreement,
the new contract incorporates the following software modules: Core
Hospital Operating System Software (patient, demand and order
logistics with patient itinerary); Intake Logistics; a Physician Rounding
Application and a Clinical Care Coordinator (C3) Application.
~~ Corprit Advisory Group – Decision management advisory and
technology services, allowing clients to make informed, data-
driven decisions.
~~ Health Care Consulting Group, Inc. (HCCG) – Yellow Pages advertising,
cost reduction and placement services.
~~ PeraHealth, Inc. – An innovative platform that provides house-wide
predictive surveillance based on the Rothman Index.
~~ Soriant Healthcare – Services include project assessment, consulting
and implementation services for various hospital departments.
~~ Trane US, Inc. – An energy advisory and performance services program
for delivering cost savings.
In 2014, Phoenix Regional Contracts documented value of $8,082,144.
12. 12
$78 $79.8 $80.3
$96.4
$110.7
$94.9
$50
$60
$70
$80
$90
$100
$110
$120
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
$0
$500,000
$1,000,000
$1,500,000
$2,000,000
$2,500,000
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Actual VHA Georgia $269,674 $365,633 $249,176 $301,088 $259,663 333,851
Actual Phoenix $438,547 $1,130,173 $1,188,756 $1,628,372 $2,116,833 1,932,385
Bottom Line Improvement
Benefits of VHA Georgia and Phoenix
We are pleased to share that in 2014, VHA Georgia and Phoenix Health Care Management Services reported $94.9 million in regional cost savings,
cost avoidance and revenue enhancements on behalf of our members and affiliates through our regional programs, services and initiatives. Based
on our regional membership fees, these savings equate to an average local return on investment of 24.1 fold based on utilization of services and
self-reporting.
*In 2014, an additional $29.2 million in value was reported through VHA Inc.'s national opportunities outlined on the next page.
Trended Regional Member Cost Savings, Cost Avoidance and Revenue Enhancements
Trended VHA Georgia and Phoenix Financial Performance
Millions
13. 13
Program Stockholder/Partner Total Affiliate Total Grand Total
Georgia ADS Stop-Loss Premium Savings $13,972,510 $0 $13,972,510
GMRP Savings $178,012 $0 $178,012
GMRP- API Contractual Savings $71,541 $0 $71,541
HSI $752,329 $0 $752,329
HSI - Accelerated Claims $3,709,059 $0 $3,709,059
HSI - Medlytix - CharityTel $55,000 $0 $55,000
HSI - Nemadji/GRE Medicare-Medicaid Recovery $3,383,959 $0 $3,383,959
HSI - MCare Transfer DRG & Medicare Advantage $3,186,430 $10,644 $3,197,074
PCIP - Benefit Communication Insourcing Program $1,107,465 $0 $1,107,465
PCIP - Employee Savings $414,297 $9,236 $423,533
PCIP - Employer Savings $753,946 $4,464 $758,410
Phoenix Health Care Management Services Co-Op Cash Distribution $372,084 $0 $372,084
Regional Contracts Savings $7,935,712 $146,432 $8,082,144
Phoenix Company Savings $35,892,343 $170,776 $36,063,119
Blood Management Collaborative $3,829,822 $0 $3,829,822
CFO Council Initiatives $51,419 $0 $51,419
Charge Audit Council Initiatives $7,435,254 $0 $7,435,254
CIO Council Initiatives $1,099,598 $0 $1,099,598
CNO Council Initiatives $289,031 $0 $289,031
Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) Initiatives $13,221,021 $0 $13,221,021
Home Health & Hospice Council Initiatives $3,323,751 $0 $3,323,751
Human Resources Council Initiatives (also contributed to PCIP savings) $925,431 $0 $925,431
Infection Prevention Council Initiatives $936,597 $0 $936,597
Lean Six Sigma Program $3,087,992 $0 $3,087,992
Palliative Care Collaborative $5,176,918 $0 $5,176,918
Patient Safety Initiatives $5,155 $0 $5,155
Performance Improvement & Quality Council Initiatives $293,683 $0 $293,683
Pharmacy Council Distribution Regional Enhancement $3,136,690 $59,337 $3,196,027
Pharmacy High Impact Contract Launches $1,015,320 $52,696 $1,068,017
Physician Practice Management Council Initiatives $838,575 $0 $838,575
Radiology Council Initiatives $25,637 $0 $25,637
Readmissions Collaborative $3,595,902 $0 $3,595,902
Respiratory/ICU Council Initiatives $20,159 $0 $20,159
Revenue Cycle Management/Managed Care Council Initiatives $1,246,039 $0 $1,246,039
Supply Chain Regional Enhancements $8,121,593 $503,834 $8,625,427
Supply Chain Medical/Surgical High Impact Contract Launches $197,252 $26,575 $223,826
VHA Georgia Co-Op Cash Distribution $291,270 $5,564 $296,834
VHA Georgia Activity Savings $58,164,112 $648,005 $58,812,117
2014 Total Phoenix and VHA Georgia Member Savings $94,056,455 $818,782 $94,875,236
Capital Group Buys $2,051,723 $0 $2,051,723
Cash Distributions $13,884,665 $0 $13,884,665
Performance Services $4,027,221 $0 $4,027,221
Purchased Services $2,002,869 $0 $2,002,869
Standardization Programs $3,822,182 $0 $3,822,182
Supply Networks $3,437,410 $0 $3,437,410
VHA Inc. Activity Savings $29,226,070 $0 $29,226,070
2014 Total Phoenix and VHA Georgia Member Savings – Regional & National $123,282,525 $818,782 $124,101,307
14. 14
2014 Board of Directors
VHA Georgia, Inc. and Phoenix Health Care Management Services, Inc.
Scott J. Downing
Executive Vice President
VHA Inc.
Reynold J. Jennings, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer
WellStar Health System
Carol H. Burrell
President and CEO
Northeast Georgia Health System, Inc.
Gary R. Colberg, FACHE
President and CEO
Southeast Georgia Health System
James R. Davis
President and CEO
University Health Care System
VHA Georgia/Phoenix Secretary/Treasurer
Charles A. Peck, MD
President and CEO
Athens Regional Health System
Ninfa M. Saunders, DHA, FACHE
President and CEO
Navicent Health
Richard T. Howerton, III, FACHE
President and CEO
VHA Georgia, Inc. and
Phoenix Health Care Management Services, Inc.
Kim Ryan, FACHE
President and CEO
Southern Regional Health System, Inc.
Cary Martin
President and CEO
Houston Healthcare
J. Randall Sauls, MBA, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer
South Georgia Medical Center
J. Perry Mustian, FACHE
President and CEO
Archbold Medical Center, Inc.
Phoenix Chair
Jeffrey D. Myers
President and CEO
Hamilton Health Care System, Inc.
John A. Shelton, Jr., FACHE
President and CEO
DeKalb Regional Health System
Robert T. Quattrocchi
President and CEO
Northside Health Services, Inc.
William T. Richardson, FACHE
President and CEO
Tift Regional Health System
M. Scott Hill, FACHE
President and CEO
Columbus Regional Health*
Kevin Brown
President and CEO
Piedmont Healthcare+
Kurt Stuenkel, FACHE
President and CEO
Floyd Medical Center
Kenneth T. Calamia, MD
President and CEO
Mayo Clinic Health System in Waycross
Joel Wernick, FACHE
President and CEO
Phoebe Putney Health System, Inc.
Philip R. Wolfe, FACHE
President and CEO
Gwinnett Health System, Inc.
VHA Georgia Chair
+
Phoenix board member only
VHA Georgia board member only
*VHA Georgia services member only
