RD277 - Virginia Health Information (VHI) 2014 Annual Report and Strategic Plan Update


Executive Summary:
About this year’s theme, you may wonder what Big Data we’re talking about and how it can affect your health. After all, VHI has collected data and published health information since 1993. What’s different now? The answer is simply . . . a lot!

Working with our stakeholders, VHI has continued our successful implementation of Virginia’s All Payer Claims Database (APCD). APCDs are built around the collection and integration of information from multiple payers—both public and private. In Virginia this includes commercial health insurance companies, Medicaid and Medicare. The Big comes from medical claims, pharmacy information, enrollment and provider data. Shake this up with powerful risk adjustment and episodes of care calculations and you have information to support public and population health evaluation and management. Consumers will have unrivaled access to cost and quality information. Virginia’s APCD will also help support the design and evaluation of alternative health care payment models.

Virginia’s Psychiatric Bed Registry was finalized and implemented this year. Now, emergency services personnel have a useful tool to help find available psychiatric beds across the Commonwealth. Additional information on whether patients were or were not placed is collected to help Virginia improve access to psychiatric care.

Virginia’s patient level database system continues to be used by VHI and others across the Commonwealth and US. VHI publications include Cardiac Care, Obstetric Services and other special reports. Health plans provided information on health care prices on 31 services, HMOs on their quality. Under the hood of each effort has been data and a commitment by stakeholders to make the good better and support health care reform efforts currently underway in the Commonwealth.

Long-term care information identifies where nursing homes are located, their prices, quality and similar information on assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities and home health care.

VHI’s most important tool in developing new information, establishing trust and developing share funding models is communication. It is in this spirit that we share this year’s Annual Report and Strategic Plan Update.

Michael T. Lundberg
Executive Director