Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1235187
44 QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT 14 health systems pledge $700M to reduce health disparities By Gabrielle Masson F ourteen hospitals and health systems have invest- ed $700 million to address economic, racial and environmental resource disparities that affect community health, according to a Nov. 5 news release. The institutions are all members of the Healthcare Anchor Network, and are tackling "the structural and economic drivers of poor health through place-based investing, as well as through local, inclusive hiring and procurement," Dave Zuckerman, HAN director, said in the release. Below are the 14 health systems involved: • Advocate Aurora Health (Milwaukee) • Anchorum St. Vincent (Santa Fe, N.M.) • Bon Secours Mercy Health (Cincinnati) • Boston Medical Center • CommonSpirit Health (Chicago) • Einstein Healthcare Network (Philadelphia) • Henry Ford Health System (Detroit) • Intermountain Healthcare (Salt Lake City) • Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, Calif.) • ProMedica (Toledo, Ohio) • Rush University Medical Center (Chicago) • RWJBarnabas Health (West Orange, N.J.) • Trinity Health (Livonia, Mich.) • UMass Memorial Health Care (Worcester, Mass.) The health systems are addressing social determinants of health since social, economic, environmental and behavior-related factors account for up to 80 percent of health outcomes. Funds will go toward safe and affordable housing, equitable economic development and small/diverse business development. n NYC Health + Hospitals launches house call program for primary care By Emily Rappleye N ew York City-based NYC Health + Hospitals on Dec. 5 launched a two-year pilot program for home-based prima- ry care, targeted at patients who are frail and homebound. Physicians and nurse practitioners will provide primary care, preventive care, chronic disease management and mental health services for 200 patients during the pilot. Patients will be able to use telehealth video visits to connect with specialists, mental health providers and social workers. "Someday, our society's institutions may be structured to serve more than the temporarily able-bodied among us. We're proud to be the first in our health system to adopt this new model of care in the home, which will better position us to serve the pa- tients of the future," Scott McGarvey, MD, program lead at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, where the pilot will be hosted, said in a press release. The pilot is powered by nearly $1 million in grants from the Altman Foundation, the New York Community Trust, and the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, and investments by the health system. If the program is successful, NYC Health + Hospitals plans to expand it to more patients. n Joint Commission to roll out new maternal care standards By Mackenzie Bean T he Joint Commission will implement two new hospi- tal accreditation standards on maternal care this year, reported AHA News. Three things to know: 1. The new standards, outlined in a Joint Commission advisory released in October, will take effect July 1, 2020. 2. They will offer updated care guidelines for preventing mater- nal hemorrhage and severe hypertension in pregnant women. 3. About 51 percent of maternal death and severe morbidity cas- es reported to The Joint Commission between 2010 and August 2019 listed maternal hemorrhage as a contributing factor. n