What We're Watching: November 27, 2018

MAKING PROGRESS

HHS released its Year 3 report on the progress of the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (CARB). Of note, 776 hospitals are now reporting antibiotic usage data and 317 are reporting antibiotic resistance data to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). HHS is now looking for input on what CARB should focus on next.

What we’re saying: In 2015, Premier made a commitment to support CARB through our collaboratives, analytics and educational resources. A couple of months ago, we announced a continuation of our commitment to CDC efforts and applauded the FDA on fighting antibiotic resistance efforts. Premier is actively working with our member hospitals on this, including to enable increased reporting of antimicrobial usage and resistance data to NHSN, which we’ve provided as a free capability to all of the hospitals that access our clinical surveillance solution, powered by TheraDoc®.

MORE TO COME

Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) and General Motors (GM) are taking risk for their patients and employees, respectively. The partnership was discussed at a recent C-suite conference, where reps from Premier and HFHS explained why we should expect to see more of these risk-sharing arrangements.

What we’re saying: This is another example of an employer going direct to achieve healthier employees and lower healthcare costs. The shared savings risk arrangement starts in 2019 and is a first for both GM and HFHS. And stakes are high, as GM can choose a different health system at any time, for any reason if their best interests aren’t met. As employers take more action, insurers are becoming a mere cost center. Will new competition lead to new behavior? It’s an interesting dynamic that Premier is seeing more of as we work with our members on these arrangements.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

• Susan DeVore Inducted into the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame
• Premier Talks What’s Next for Healthcare Post Midterms on NPR
• Premier Inc. Survey: Nearly 75% of Health Systems Report Interest in Value-Based Contracting
• Premier Inc. Agrees to Acquire Stanson Health to Integrate Data-Enabled Clinical Decision Support Capabilities within EHRs

What We’re Watching is a weekly blog focused on the current events Premier is following and their relevance to the work of Premier and its members.