How do you collaborate with your state so both partners win? This session explored the innovative partnerships various multi-stakeholder or community organizations have developed with their states to advance shared goals.
Representatives from Oregon and North Carolina shared their experiences in state partnerships, while Mr. John Colmers, vice president for healthcCare at Johns Hopkins Medicine, moderated the session.
Strong partnerships with states may be one component of robust and sustainable AF4Q Alliances in the future, especially because states play major roles as purchasers, regulators, conveners, and market settlers.
Colmers shared his outlook on the Affordable Care Act. “The ACA is going to have major effects, especially on the number of people that Medicaid is going to touch,” he
said. “States are going to have to make decisions about how involved in exchanges they want to be—for example, will they mandate quality measures?”
Mylia Christensen and Jeanene Smith shared their experiences from Oregon. Oregon held 75 stakeholder group meetings to define shared their primary care medical home (PCMH) model. Oregon’s approach has been collaborative, and QualityCorp and the Oregon Health Authority have forged a close partnership to develop their PCMH model and influence clinics to become recognized. Relationship-building has been key to their progress.
The North Carolina model has been a work-in-progress for more than 40 years. Christine Collins with the North Carolina Office of Rural Health and Community Care shared her experiences from North Carolina. “State governments increasingly know they can’t—and shouldn’t—do it all,” she said. “The community has to be engaged as a part of solutions.”