Dear friends,
Jeffrey Anderson, MD, MPH, MBA
On behalf of the HealthVine leadership team, I welcome you to the inaugural edition of the Cincinnati Children’s HealthVine annual report. It covers our first 18 months as a pediatric accountable care organization (ACO) serving children and youth enrolled in Medicaid through CareSource in Southwest Ohio.
We began with the launch of the HealthVine Care Management Program on Jan. 1, 2021, during a most unusual time, still in the throes of the prolonged, global COVID-19 pandemic. Like all healthcare institutions, we had to adapt, innovate and adjust to meet the needs of our members and community partners in an unpredictable environment.
Yet, the pandemic brought our mission into focus. It highlighted opportunities to better serve the pediatric Medicaid population and underscored the importance—and impact—of population health strategy and interventions.
Our team embraced our values of continuous improvement, impact, and collaboration and went to work.
In partnership with CareSource and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, HealthVine achieved early success in our first 18 months of operation, including:
- Launching and operationalizing the Utilization Management Program on July 1, 2021.
- Receiving accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for our care management program.
- Expanding our Integrated Behavioral Health offerings to several Cincinnati-area community practices to increase access to behavioral health assessment, treatment and services.
- Creating the Research and Innovation Program to propel the development of clinically integrated, evidence-based population health interventions.
What’s next? In the spirit of continuous improvement, our team and our partners are exploring opportunities to:
- Transform insight gained from data to develop and spread evidence-based interventions and close healthcare gaps among our members.
- Expand HealthVine’s reach in the communities we serve to increase awareness and use of the services and support available to members and their families.
- Optimize our Care Management and Utilization Management operations to see that children are well cared for and healthcare dollars are well spent.
We are excited to look back on our history so far and celebrate this milestone with you. The stories and data that follow illustrate the impact we have had so far—and what’s possible for the future of pediatric population health in our region, in Ohio, and around the country.
We extend our thanks to the many collaborators who have shaped and continue to support HealthVine and its vision. We look forward to the work in front of us and the rich potential of the year ahead.
Sincerely, Jeffrey Anderson, MD, MPH, MBA
Senior Vice President and Chief Population Health Officer Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center