Heywood PHO gets Quality Award grant

By Owen Boss

GARDNER — The Heywood Physician Hospital Organization is one of 16 provider groups in Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire that recently received a Quality Award grant from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care aimed at improving clinical quality and patient safety. The grant money is expected to be used to improve information technology collaboration between the physicians’ offices at the hospital and the PHO. This is the ninth year that Harvard Pilgrim will be awarding Quality Award grants, and it has distributed more than $11 million to more than 140 initiatives since its inception. Barbara Proffitt, a registered nurse at Heywood Hospital, said that while the grant money isn’t directed at the hospital itself, improving the sharing of information with the PHO will allow for better care. “The money is going to be used as a way of streamlining,” said Ms. Proffitt. “We are trying to get all of our offices integrated into an electronic system. These changes will improve the exchange of information so we can better identify the patients that may need extra help trying to get some of their measures completed.” The grants are distributed to provider groups following the submission of proposals, which are physician leaders within Harvard Pilgrim’s network review. The review criteria includes demonstrated need, innovation in providing care, sustainability and the potential for transferring successful programs to other practice settings. According to Joanne Kaplan, a senior communications specialist for Harvard Pilgrim, the grant money can be used for whatever purpose best suits the hospital. “When we decide how to distribute the grants, we invite these hospitals to put in a proposal for something necessary that they would use the money for, so it is really their choice,” said Ms. Kaplan. “It just has to be based on a quality improvement initiative.” Although the majority of the money is expected to be used to implement a better communications system, Ms. Kaplan said the funds will also be used to support a project that will increase the availability of educational resources to both patients and physician offices. oboss@thegardnernews.com

Appeared on Page 4 on 6/4/2008 (Vol. 206 No. 132)