Walmart Honored by National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions for Efforts to Improve Healthcare Delivery System

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Walmart was presented with the 2018 Employer/Purchaser Excellence Award by the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions (National Alliance) at its annual forum today. The Florida Health Care Coalition and Kentuckiana Health Collaborative were also recognized with the 2018 Membership Leadership Award. These organizations were celebrated for efforts to improve quality and efficiency of the healthcare delivery system, employee engagement ? and ultimately health.

"We're pleased to highlight the efforts of Walmart and two of our members as prime examples of employers and coalitions committed to improving the health and productivity of their workforce and communities," said Michael Thompson, National Alliance president and CEO.

Walmart
From pioneering centers of excellence to compassionate benefit design, Walmart, the world's biggest retailer, is focused on quality. The company is noted for innovative programs to encourage associates to seek higher quality providers via direct accountable care organization contracting for population management in select markets and their Employers Centers of Excellence Program (ECEN) that prioritizes quality, better associate experience and payment reform.

"Walmart cares about its associates and takes seriously our responsibility to think bigger than benefits," said Lisa Woods, Senior Director of US Health Care at Walmart and Board Chair for the Pacific Business Group on Health. "We're working to change the landscape of benefits management to drive the quality and affordability of healthcare and we appreciate this recognition as a validation of our ongoing efforts."

Florida Health Care Coalition
A group of employers representing nearly 2.5 million covered lives, the Florida Health Care Coalition (FLHCC) is a community catalyst that uses its collective purchasing power to improve health care delivery and quality. Among FLHCC's innovative programs is the development of a value-based bundled payment blueprint for SMARTCare (Smarter Management and Resource Use for Today's Complex Care), a three-year CMS Innovation project. The major tenets of this cardiac blueprint are adherence to appropriate use criteria, shared decision making, patient reported outcomes, and patient lifestyle coaching. This blueprint identifies how employers, providers and cardiac patients should work together to ensure value in the delivery and payment of care.

"This year FLHCC has been working tirelessly with Remedy Partners to operationalize this blueprint and implement Remedy Partners' full line of bundled payment programs with our members," Karen van Caulil, FLHCC President and CEO. "It's exciting to see significant progress in moving from volume to value and we are honored by this recognition of our efforts." 

Kentuckiana Health Collaborative
The Kentuckiana Health Collaborative (KHC) is a non-profit comprised of representatives who have a major stake in improving the health status and the healthcare delivery system in Greater Louisville and Kentucky. KHC and the Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services joined forces on the Kentucky Performance Measures Alignment Committee, a public-private effort to create a common primary care measures set in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to improve the quality and value of care, reduce provider reporting complexity and align Kentucky's healthcare measurement. The coalition has tackled opioids working with the Kentucky Cabinet of Health and Family Services Department of Behavioral Health to assist primary health care providers in implementing services for unhealthy opioid use into their practices. KHC also focused on mental health through a partnership with StaMINA (Student Alliance for Mental Health Innovation and Action) to identify new ways to address adolescent needs.

"The KHC's efforts in the areas of youth mental health, substance use disorder screening, healthcare affordability, and measurement alignment are all critically important to advancing the wellbeing of our community," said Diana Han, MD, KHC Employer Chair and Global Medical Director, GE Appliances, a Haier company. "A healthy community translates to a vibrant, engaged, productive workforce and increases our community's chances of economic growth."

About the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions
The National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions is a nonprofit network of business coalitions, representing more than 12,000 purchasers and 45 million Americans, spending more than $300 billion annually on healthcare. The National Alliance is dedicated to driving innovation, health, and value along with its coalition members through the collective action of public and private purchasers. To learn more, visit nationalalliancehealth.org or connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

SOURCE National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions