In the third year of the Medicare Physician Group Practice demonstration project, St. John's Health System – one of 10 participants nationwide – achieved benchmark-quality performance, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Aug. 18. St. John's President and CEO Kim Day and Congressman Roy Blunt were on hand for the announcement.

The five-year Physician Group Practice project gives incentives for better coordination of Medicare Part A and Part B services, promotes investment in care management programs and processes, and recognizes physicians for improving health outcomes.

In the third year, there were 32 quality measures that focused on diabetes, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, hypertension and cancer screenings. St. John's efforts have focused on coordinating care for patients who transition between facilities; reaching out to patients with chronic illness and more aggressively monitoring them between visits; and incorporating technology to give practitioners more information about patients prior to appointments.

As a result of the program so far, St. John's reduced projected Medicare expenses by $5 million between years one and two and $8.3 million between years two and three. For its efforts in the third year, St. John's received a $3.2 million performance payment.

Project organizers hope the project will lead to a change in reimbursement practices for Medicare.

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