Center for Health Value Innovation Announces Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield as Recipient of the First John J. Mahoney, M.D. Awards for Community Health Value Innovation

MASON, Ohio, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Advancing its commitment to communities that demonstrate a strategic design to improve health accountability across multiple stakeholders, The Center for Health Value Innovation (CHVI) announces the first recipients of the prestigious John J. Mahoney, M.D. Award for Community Health Value Innovation. CHVI, experts in value-based design who link superior health outcomes to improved business performance, reports that recipients were chosen for their ability to measure and report outcomes as well as their improvement of the health and economic status of the community.

"We are honored to receive this award from CHVI, an organization committed to sharing its collective expertise and real-world business experiences to foster community programs that show promise and real innovation," says Dr. Barry Malinowski, medical director, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio. "This grant will buoy our efforts as we continue to make strides to improve the health of the people in our communities, and in particular expand the Pharmacy Coaching Program to other people in Ohio."

The primary award recipient, The Michigan Health Information Alliance (MiHIA), will receive $40,000, while Anthem and three other value-based design community health projects will receive grants of $10,000 each.  

Award recipients will receive a variety of services from CHVI, including:

• Benefit design and data oversight and analysis
• Onsite training  (including priorities, alignment, measuring value, and outcomes-based contracting™ for improved health, wealth and performance)
• A press release, case study summary, and a webinar/seminar for community learning
• A potential submission to a peer-reviewed journal

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield's Diabetes and Hypertension Pharmacy Coaching Program, piloted in Cincinnati, will be expanded to other communities. Specific results of the program have not yet been published, but the organizations involved are seeing improved treatment adherence, diabetes and hypertension outcomes, and cost trends.

The three other $10,000 grant recipients are:  

• The American Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery, which advances standards in quality and outcomes for current and future surgical procedure.
• The Mayor's Fitness Council of Austin Texas, which will positively impact Austin residents' physical activity levels and nutritional intake.
• The Wichita Business Coalition on Health Care, which is committed to working across stakeholders to pursue increased value in the health care system.

The award honors John "Jack" Mahoney, M.D., co-founder and chief medical officer of CHVI, who served Pitney Bowes as Health Strategy director, medical director, and a key team leader for the Company's innovative health care programs.  Dr. Mahoney currently serves as consultant for Strategic Health Initiatives for Pitney Bowes and is active in shaping the Company's value-based benefit designs. As a result of this work and his contributions to the science of population health improvement, and as co-author of Leveraging Health(2009), Dr. Mahoney is regarded as an influential and distinguished industry leader.

"Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield exemplifies everything that CHVI is working toward in value-based benefit design," says Cyndy Nayer, CEO of CHVI and the voice of value-based benefit design. "At the end of the year, what we want is a learning collaborative with these recipients to create some benchmarks for other communities, sharing what worked, what was challenging, and how some of the challenges were overcome. Using data to improve outcomes -- that's the real power of CHVI!"

A high-profile panel of judges for the John J. Mahoney, M.D. Award for Community Health Value Innovation included: Cathy Baase, M.D., Jerry Reeves, M.D. (both of whom recused themselves from voting to avoid bias), Wayne Burton, M.D., Dee Edington, Ph.D., Peter Hayes, Pam Hymel, M.D., Chris McSwain, John Miall, Kavita Nair, Ph.D., Michael Taylor, M.D., Fred Williams, and Raymond Zastrow, M.D.

About the CHVI

The Center for Health Value Innovation (CHVI; 501C3) is a membership organization of expert employers, plan sponsors and innovators that shares actionable health data, strategies and tools for better business performance. The results: aligned incentives for individual responsibility and corporate accountability. www.vbhealth.org

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Community Insurance Company, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. ®ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc.The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio is available at www.anthem.com.

Media:

CPR for The Center for Health Value Innovation

Rachael Fisher; [email protected]; 201-641-1911x49

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Kim Ashley, [email protected]; 513-445-0191

SOURCE Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield