WellSpan recently received a $125,000 grant from the Highmark Foundation to form a regional learning collaborative around “super utilizers” of health care.
Super utilizers are people who are medically sick, but for many other reasons, use a very high rate of medical services. WellSpan will work with physicians throughout the region on the project.
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“Many patients have challenges in addition to their illness,” said Chris Echterling, MD, associate medical director for quality and innovation, WellSpan Medical Group.
“It could be poverty, mental health issues or, for example, they may have transportation issues or challenges in their home environment. We also need to collectively do a better job when patients go from one part of the health system to another.”
Echterling said the term “super utilizers” gives the sense that it’s a patient problem, but it isn’t. Instead the problem stems from a series of complicated issues that are often outside the patient’s control.
Many times the problem is a system problem.
About half of health care costs are produced by just five percent of the population, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Echterling said that figure is shocking, even for physicians. In fact, he said the first time he heard it, he didn't think it was correct. But it is.
There is interest in sharing best practices and in devising solutions to common challenges such as data mining, data analysis and medication adherence.
“We decided to fund this, in part, because of the collaborative nature of the project,” said Rosemary Browne, program officer, Highmark Foundation.
“Ultimately, with health systems working together and sharing best practices, there is a much greater chance for success.”
The overall objectives of the project, which will occur under the regional efforts of Aligning Forces for Quality, include improving the patient experience and care for the patient, while lowering overall health care costs.
“We think this project can make a difference because a number of health systems are involved,” said Echterling.
“We need to communicate more often and more effectively so when patients are transitioning between systems there is more coordination.”
Echterling and his colleagues will be working closely with the Highmark Foundation to share the results of the collaborative during the next several years.
