Program areas at UHF
See schedule ouhf's quality institute works to improve health and health care quality in New York by identifying and spreading best practices across the continuum of care, developing the next generation of quality improvement leaders, and helping to achieve consensus on the most effective quality assessment measures and patient engagement strategies. The quality institute builds on uhf's decade-long experience in implementing health care quality initiatives and grant-making activities as well as its role as a neutral and trusted convener of diverse stakeholders in the health care community. Uhf continued its work in 2021 on behalf of the New York state department of health to improve transparency and public reporting to better support consumer decision making. Building on previous work on Hospital and primary care quality ratings, work in 2021 finalized and published the results of a workgroup focused on developing and presenting meaningful and user-friendly pricing information and resources for a state website designed to support consumers' health care journey. Uhf collaborated with the organization by convening a multi-stakeholder workgroup made up of participants from consumer advocacy groups, providers, payers, professional and trade organizations, foundations, nonprofits, and consulting organizations. Uhf's synthesis of the project, "New your state department of health price methodology workgroup: final recommendations" was published in 2021 uhf, partnering with greater New York Hospital association (gnyha), graduated the 12th class of its clinical quality fellowship program, and selected a New fellowship class of 30 physicians, nurses, and physician assistants, matching the largest ever class size. The program supports the training and professional development of early and mid-career clinicians from hospitals across the region to help them to lead and champion quality improvement initiatives in their own institutions. The quality institute completed a project in 2021 using patient-centered co-design methods to involve primary care providers from a large health system and their patients in the development of a prototype dashboard to support better communication between patients and their providers. This 'how's my health dashboard' project resulted in publication of a highly regarded report, "designing a digital platform to monitor health status and foster trust between patients and clinicians. Co-design work informing the final report included interviews about use of health information technology, creating the content and design of the dashboard, user feedback about the prototype, and assessing individual, organizational, and cultural factors that would facilitate its adoption.a project concluded that brought together eight skilled nursing facilities to collaborate on creating safer and more effective transitions back home for short stay residents. The collaborative improved transition planning so that it better aligns with the needs and priorities of older, vulnerable patients and their family caregivers. Participants are addressing gaps in care coordination, continuity, communication, and medication management through interventions based on successful transitional models of care. The resulting report "heading home from a skilled nursing facility: interventions and tools for improving the transition" was released near the end of the fiscal year. Uhf continued its quality leaders forum in 2021 providing an opportunity for regional clinical quality leaders to address current issues through intimate discussions with local and national experts. Virtual forum meetings in 2021 included conversations with the commissioner of the New York city department of health and mental hygiene on covid-19, a panel of New York city quality leaders on health equity, an institute for healthcare improvement executive on what matters to patients, and a uk national health service leader on simple tools for driving organization and system change.
See schedule ouhf's medicaid institute works to effect positive change in the design and operation of New York state's medicaid program, which serves more than 6 million New yorkers and accounts for spending of approximately $90 billion annually. Medicaid accounts for about a third of the state's health care economy. The medicaid institute produces research, analysis, and publications that inform policy discussions at every stage and level, and convenes meetings, and conferences with government officials, health care providers, insurers, program administrators, advocates, and other major stakeholders, to identify and address important issues affecting both health care providers and beneficiaries. In 2021, the medicaid institute conducted background research for the New York state medicaid program on topics including children's health, medical respite services for individuals experiencing homelessness, chronic disease management, and health equity. The institute also published "improving nutrition and infant health through wic: opportunities during and beyond a public health crisis." Recognizing the reality of food insecurity for many New yorkers who are enrolled in medicaid, the brief focused on how medicaid plans and providers can improve infant health and reduce low birthweight in the state by leveraging wic to reduce food insecurity. Medicaid institute provided staff level support to the state for the children's health value-based payment subcommittee and clinical advisory group charged with reviewing and recommending value-based payment measures for New York's medicaid program. Staff also supported ongoing implementation of the state's first 1,000 days on medicaid initiative. Uhf also sponsored its annual medicaid conference, keynoted by the state medicaid director brett friedman, and virtually attended by more than 600 health care policy makers, providers, insurers, and community organization.
See schedule ouhf's clinical-community partnerships priority area works at the intersection of health care, social service agencies, and communities to address stressors like inadequate housing, unemployment, poor nutrition, and poverty known as "social determinants of health" that can cause lasting, lifelong effects on physical and emotional well-being. Work in this priority area in 2021 continued to expand beyond the significant focus on early childhood health and well-being. Uhf published "profiles in integrated familycare," a report featuring the stories of five providers across very different delivery system settings that are all actively implementing elements of the previously published uhf integrated family care rubric. Uhf also published "food insecurity and healthcare: addressing food insecurity through the health care system in New York. This work conducted in partnership with boston consulting group measured the scale of food insecurity in hew York, assessed the role that health care systems can play in addressing the food insecurity, and reviewed potential policy and programmatic interventions to lessen the burden of food insecurity on New York individuals and families. An accompanying commentary discussed the role of systemic racism in food insecurity and the potential for health care to partner with community-based social service organizations to address those systemic inequities. The children's health initiative completed a second year of the pediatrics for an equitable developmental start (peds) learning network in 2021. The network aims to reduce inequities in childhood by increasing the number of young children receiving primary care-based interventions that promote healthy development, address unmet social and developmental needs, and strengthen families. A class of eight inaugural peds fellows graduated from a 15-month program providing mentorship, professional development opportunities, and a stipend to implement an equity-focused, child health project in their work. Projects ranged from developmental milestones for non-english-speaking families to an indoor garden connected to healthy food supports in the community. Additional programming was provided to a growing network of child-serving stakeholders with a focus on equity in early childhood care. A large online resource center continued to grow, providing practical tips and annotated lists of resources and readings to support practitioners in foundational topics including social needs of young children and families, behavioral health screening, ways to support and partner with parents, workforce training in equity, and more.
As the pandemic continued to wreak havoc on the health care system and health insurance markets in New your, uhf continued to provide deep insights in 2021 for consumers and policy makers alike as they navigated the constantly shifting landscape. Uhf's health insurance project released three reports focused on coverage affordability in the context of federal pandemic relief. "a shot in the arm: american rescue plan act boosts health coverage affordability" focused on increased subsidies and premium tax credits for more New yorkers. "extra coverage help under the american rescue plan for New yorkers who lost jobs and job-based insurance" reviewed options for more affordable employer continuation coverage, supports for those workers who received unemployment benefits in 2021, and protections for consumers from repaying previously received premium tax credits. "after the american rescue plan: trick or treat?" Assessed the potential of coverage losses in New York without continuing federal support outlined in the previous reports. Throughout the year, covid-19 continued to impact the community and guide uhf's work. A commentary series initiated in 2020 continued in 2021 with 6 internal and externally written pieces focusing on covid issues ranging from vaccines for individuals with disabilities to supporting the asian american community recovery from the pandemic. The series also grew to include non-covid topics including language access and effective spending of opioid settlement funds. Health equity and covid-19 practice innovations were the main topics of the 32nd annual symposium on health care services in New York: research and practice, jointly sponsored by United Hospital Fund and the greater New York Hospital association. More than 100 participants joined for a keynote presentation by ama senior vice president and chief health equity officer aletha maybak, two panels focused on covid-19 vaccines and impacted subpopulations respectively, and a video poster session presenting an array of health services research from the field. Uhf awarded $365,000 in grants in fy22 to support ongoing programs to improve transitions of care from skilled nursing facilities to home, and to support clinical quality improvement training and specially access work with New York area providers.other program expense description expenses revenuepublications and info. Services $1,340,144 $0library $603,099 $0grant $584,923 $16,000insurance access $316,640 $0program general $261,690 $0