As the care delivery network in the U.S. is increasingly challenged to meet quality and cost effectiveness goals, strategies such as the patient-centered medical home, the Chronic Care Model and advanced primary care using care coordination have emerged to reorganize care delivery and optimize outcomes. Taconic IPA is at the forefront of testing these and similar strategies in the open community, and welcomes external entities to develop and implement evaluations of these efforts.

For instance, a TIPA longitudinal study currently underway is tracking 26 quality and utilization measures of cost and quality, examining the use of electronic health records in practices that are NCQA-recognized Level 3 medical homes. This study began with baseline data from practices prior to their medical home transformation, and continues to evaluate data over a four-year period. The project is supported with a HEAL grant from the New York Department of Health and is managed in collaboration with the Taconic Health Information Network and Community (THINC). Capabilities demonstrated in this area include project management; ongoing intelligence gathering on practice and provider demographics including EHR status; development of a database to store data collection results; implementation of the medical home and care coordination interventions; and central coordination with collaborators.

Another longitudinal research project under TIPA’s research umbrella evaluates the use of care coordination in the medical home setting, examining the same 26 quality and utilization measures at baseline and over three sequential years. The project is also supported with a HEAL grant from the New York Department of Health and managed in collaboration with THINC.