Linda Schwimmer Outlines New Jersey's Efforts to Better Understand Impact of New Payment Models

New Jersey is 1 of 3 states that will test a new set of metrics to assess how well new payment models have penetrated markets, explained Linda Schwimmer, JD, president and CEO of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, which will lead the process in New Jersey.

Transcript

The purpose of the Scorecard 2.0 effort is to develop a measurement tool that “reflects the reality of the market today.” How would you describe that market in New Jersey?

I would say that New Jersey has a lot of payers, meaning health plans, and hospital systems, and other physician groups that are working diligently right now to transform our healthcare system and to improve it. We could do more in that regard—we could do a better job at it. One of the ways would be having greater access to data and sharing data.

Who are your key partners in making this process a success? What will this process look like?

For the Scorecard to work, we really need to have access to data. And the health plans, as well as the State of New Jersey, are the largest holders of that data. To support his project, we’ve reached out to all those payers, and we’re going to be meeting with them to brief on the project, and to explain the benefits—both to them as well as to all New Jerseyans.

Is New Jersey’s data in good shape? Is the state positioned to provide data in a manner that will make it meaningful?

New Jersey’s data is not that transparent right now. It’s basically kept behind the walls of the purchasers and the payers. We can certainly do a better job of clearing that up, and making it more accessible, and least to those that are trying to work on making our system less of a fee-for-service (system) and more of what we call an outcomes-based system, where healthcare providers—such as physicians and hospitals working together—are paid for the outcomes they achieve from a quality and efficiency perspective. We have a long way to go to really achieving that goal, and this is the first step.