CCHN Member Hospital: Brooks Memorial Hospital

In August 2002, the Chautauqua County Health Network (CCHN) completed seven years of service to the people and providers in Chautauqua County. This has been a very successful year and has built upon the network's accomplishments of the previous six years. This annual report summarizes our history recent accomplishments.

Mission

The mission of the CCHN is to improve the quality of health care, including people's access to services, to contain the costs of health care for the consumer while strengthening the viability of providers, and to enhance our economy by retaining and expanding health services offered by health care providers in the county.

Message from the Executive Director

Participation by CCHN is helping to make Chautauqua County a model of excellence in the delivery of health care services. We can celebrate several successes in the 2001-2002 year, building upon a seven-year record of achievement. But a great deal is left to be completed or initiated.

We now have all of the major areas of the County qualified as Health Professional Shortage Areas for primary care, mental and dental health with the attendant benefits of enhanced Medicare fees for physicians and improved recruitment incentives. We continue to be the leader in Western New York, if not the entire State, in enrolling children and families in programs which give them access to health care services. Our Area Health Education Program is a leader in developing interest in health care careers and attracting educated professionals to practice here. Our related organization, the Chautauqua Integrated Delivery System (IDS), provides local medical management and direction for the SeniorChoice program and offers real value for Medicare beneficiaries, particularly those with moderate or limited income. Our network is a highly effective advocate for improved federal and state policies affecting hospitals and physicians, as well as consumers.

Still, we must fully implement our community health insurance venture, the Chautauqua Plan, for the benefit of employers and providers and all of those who need an improved health care program. And, we should carefully consider an initiative to establish a demonstration project in Chautauqua County combining universal health care coverage with cost containment. We believe that access to quality health care should be a right - not a privilege - and that the Chautauqua County Health Network has a role to play in establishing this right for the citizens of the County.

Our stated purpose is to take the initiative in identifying and meeting the health care needs of our citizens. The hospitals in Chautauqua County - Brooks Memorial, Lake Shore, Westfield Memorial and WCA Hospitals - along with their respective governing Boards and physicians are working cooperatively as partners to develop a community-based, full service delivery system for health care. The Chautauqua County Health Network's Board of Directors continues to develop new mechanisms to achieve our goals and initiatives. While some of these efforts may evolve into separate incorporated companies, the CCHN will remain a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the community.

Stan Lundine

Community Health Initiative

Since 1996, CCHN has pursued a Children's Health Initiative designed to increase the enrollment of eligible families in the Child Health Plus or Medicaid programs. We have also taken direct action to strengthen the access of these families to pediatric and other primary care services. In doing so, we have established the best performance record of any county in Western New York. This initiative has been carried out with our partners, Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc. and the Chautauqua County Department of Social Services.

This past year, we expanded this initiative to include families who lack health insurance or otherwise are unable to access quality health services. We and our partners have expanded the facilitated enrollment program to include those eligible for Family Health Plus and other programs. We believe that we are becoming a model for the nation in attempting to provide high quality health care for all of our citizens. Accordingly, we are working to establish a demonstration program which will be prototyped for universal coverage for everyone in Chautauqua County.

Universal Health Care Initiative

Growing out of our community health initiative, CCHN has partnered with the County of Chautauqua to explore the possibility of our county becoming a demonstration area for a universal health care initiative. We clearly see a need for reform of the present system and feel that it is necessary to undertake some development of approaches which might be successful in providing access to quality health care for all Americans.

Chautauqua County might be an ideal demonstration area because of the models of excellence we have developed and because our size is significant and yet not overwhelming. A task force has been formed to evaluate this possibility and plan for a conference tentatively scheduled for May of 2003 which will bring national experts to this area to discuss universal health care and make recommendations about a demonstration project.

Education and Advocacy

CCHN continues to work with our elected representatives and appropriate associations of health care providers to improve the climate for efficient delivery of health services. We have provided information to Congress about the need for improved hospital reimbursement under the Medicare program and advocated for reasonable physician fee schedules so that our senior citizens can receive effective services and our providers can be fairly compensated. We also advocate changes in the Medicare+Choice program which is very valuable, particularly to those Medicare beneficiaries in our county who cannot afford high premiums for insurance not covered by the regular Medicare program.

While we have encouraged New York State to take a leadership position regarding the availability of health care to all, we are concerned with the increasing tendency to impose financial burdens on counties in the process of expanding coverage. We also appreciate initiatives by the state to assist in dealing with workforce shortages which have become acute in many parts of the United States.

It was our honor to nominate Jeffrey Menoff, D.D.S., a TLC Health Network employee, to receive the 2002 National Rural Health Association Practitioner of the year award.

Western New York Rural Area Health Education Center (AHEC)

The AHEC program has continued with great success and our county leads all of New York State in providing education to young people who maybe interested in careers in health care services in this county. Janet Clark of our staff has provided the leadership and we have placed more than 45 professional students in clinical rotation opportunities. We also started our first weeklong camp for middle school students to interest them in health care careers. We continue to work with the school districts in Chautauqua County to identify needs and make opportunities more apparent to our own young people so that we tend to solve our own health care professional shortage problems locally.

The SeniorChoice Program Co-Sponsored by the
Chautauqua Integrated Delivery System (IDS)

In 1997, the CCHN acted to create a physician hospital organization which could provide Medicare services more efficiently in Chautauqua County. We created the IDS and continue to share staff resources and fulfill the mission of our organizations through the partnership with Univera and its SeniorChoice program. We provide affordable coverage for approximately 2,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Chautauqua County and have achieved an admirable record of meeting our medical expense targets and creating real value in this managed care product.

Chautauqua Plan

CCHN, working with the IDS, has successfully developed a concept for providing a community-oriented commercial health insurance plan in Chautauqua County. This program is called "the Chautauqua Plan" and has established its own Board of Directors which is comprised equally of employers and providers. We have finalized a contract with Group Health Incorporated (GHI) to provide insurance coverage through their Health Maintenance Organization and we will also offer administrative services to self-insured employers.

The Chautauqua Plan will be an innovative community/physician/hospital organization which offers a progressive private label product to employers and people in Chautauqua County. Our medical management team, experienced through our Medicare initiative, will provide the local leadership needed to make sure that all of the health care decisions are made in the interest of the enrollees and the community. We have applied to New York State for the appropriate approvals necessary to commence this program and expect it to be fully operational in 2003.

New Initiatives

Health Professional Shortage Area

CCHN took the leadership in developing a successful application to the United States Department of Health and Human Services for designation of the Jamestown area as a Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). The two major benefits of a HPSA designation are that providers of health care services for Medicare beneficiaries receive additional revenues and greater opportunity in retaining and recruiting high quality physicians to the Jamestown area.

While other areas of Chautauqua County had previously been designated as Primary Care HPSAs and we are already designated as HPSAs for dental and mental health services, this was the first time the Jamestown area was ever recognized and became qualified for the benefits of this program. The new designation will improve the compensation for local physicians, allow us to offer a loan forgiveness program, and assist in enhancing physician immigration status.

This designation will enhance our efforts to provide for excellence in health care by assisting in recruiting skilled physicians and retaining high quality positions in the Jamestown area. Marijka Lampard worked as a consultant to the CCHN in developing this application and developed the approach of including all of Chautauqua County and a few townships in Warren County Pennsylvania. The benefits accruing to a HPSA are automatic and the designation is effective for four years.

Cancer Education and Screening Program

The New York State Department of Health has awarded the Network and our community partners grant funding to screen men and women aged 50-64 for colon cancer and to inform the public of the screening opportunities available to them to detect prostate cancer. This project is anticipated to begin in the latter half of 2002. Sharon Mathe of our staff will direct this prevention program.

Conclusion

Chautauqua County is becoming a model of innovation and effectiveness in improving our health care delivery system. We have a number of programs and proposals which are at the forefront of the movement to develop effective health care for all people. CCHN has provided leadership in achieving positive results and developing coalitions of providers and others who have a stake in the improvement of our health care system. We have some reason to take pride in the programs and initiatives mentioned in this report, but are acutely aware of the challenges which lie ahead.

Chautauqua County Health Network, Inc.

Annual Report 2001-2002

Our Founding Hospitals

Introduction

Mission

Message from the Executive Director

Community Health Initiative

Universal Health Care Initiative

Education and Advocacy

Western New York Rural Area Health Education Center (AHEC)

The SeniorChoice Program Co-Sponsored by the
Chautauqua Integrated Delivery System (IDS)

Chautauqua Plan

New Initiatives

Health Professional Shortage Area

Cancer Education and Screening Program

Conclusion



		Chautauqua County Health Network, Inc. Annual Report 2001-2002 Our Founding Hospitals Brooks Memorial Hospital Lake Shore Hospital Westfield Memorial Hospital WCA Hospital Introduction In August 2002, the Chautauqua County Health Network (CCHN) completed seven years of service to the people and providers in Chautauqua County. This has been a very successful year and has built upon the network's accomplishments of the previous six years. This annual report summarizes our history recent accomplishments. Mission The mission of the CCHN is to improve the quality of health care, including people's access to services, to contain the costs of health care for the consumer while strengthening the viability of providers, and to enhance our economy by retaining and expanding health services offered by health care providers in the county. Message from the Executive Director Participation by CCHN is helping to make Chautauqua County a model of excellence in the delivery of health care services. We can celebrate several successes in the 2001-2002 year, building upon a seven-year record of achievement. But a great deal is left to be completed or initiated. We now have all of the major areas of the County qualified as Health Professional Shortage Areas for primary care, mental and dental health with the attendant benefits of enhanced Medicare fees for physicians and improved recruitment incentives. We continue to be the leader in Western New York, if not the entire State, in enrolling children and families in programs which give them access to health care services. Our Area Health Education Program is a leader in developing interest in health care careers and attracting educated professionals to practice here. Our related organization, the Chautauqua Integrated Delivery System (IDS), provides local medical management and direction for the SeniorChoice program and offers real value for Medicare beneficiaries, particularly those with moderate or limited income. Our network is a highly effective advocate for improved federal and state policies affecting hospitals and physicians, as well as consumers. Still, we must fully implement our community health insurance venture, the Chautauqua Plan, for the benefit of employers and providers and all of those who need an improved health care program. And, we should carefully consider an initiative to establish a demonstration project in Chautauqua County combining universal health care coverage with cost containment. We believe that access to quality health care should be a right - not a privilege - and that the Chautauqua County Health Network has a role to play in establishing this right for the citizens of the County. Our stated purpose is to take the initiative in identifying and meeting the health care needs of our citizens. The hospitals in Chautauqua County - Brooks Memorial, Lake Shore, Westfield Memorial and WCA Hospitals - along with their respective governing Boards and physicians are working cooperatively as partners to develop a community-based, full service delivery system for health care. The Chautauqua County Health Network's Board of Directors continues to develop new mechanisms to achieve our goals and initiatives. While some of these efforts may evolve into separate incorporated companies, the CCHN will remain a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the community. Stan Lundine Community Health Initiative Since 1996, CCHN has pursued a Children's Health Initiative designed to increase the enrollment of eligible families in the Child Health Plus or Medicaid programs. We have also taken direct action to strengthen the access of these families to pediatric and other primary care services. In doing so, we have established the best performance record of any county in Western New York. This initiative has been carried out with our partners, Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc. and the Chautauqua County Department of Social Services. This past year, we expanded this initiative to include families who lack health insurance or otherwise are unable to access quality health services. We and our partners have expanded the facilitated enrollment program to include those eligible for Family Health Plus and other programs. We believe that we are becoming a model for the nation in attempting to provide high quality health care for all of our citizens. Accordingly, we are working to establish a demonstration program which will be prototyped for universal coverage for everyone in Chautauqua County. Universal Health Care Initiative Growing out of our community health initiative, CCHN has partnered with the County of Chautauqua to explore the possibility of our county becoming a demonstration area for a universal health care initiative. We clearly see a need for reform of the present system and feel that it is necessary to undertake some development of approaches which might be successful in providing access to quality health care for all Americans. Chautauqua County might be an ideal demonstration area because of the models of excellence we have developed and because our size is significant and yet not overwhelming. A task force has been formed to evaluate this possibility and plan for a conference tentatively scheduled for May of 2003 which will bring national experts to this area to discuss universal health care and make recommendations about a demonstration project. Education and Advocacy CCHN continues to work with our elected representatives and appropriate associations of health care providers to improve the climate for efficient delivery of health services. We have provided information to Congress about the need for improved hospital reimbursement under the Medicare program and advocated for reasonable physician fee schedules so that our senior citizens can receive effective services and our providers can be fairly compensated. We also advocate changes in the Medicare+Choice program which is very valuable, particularly to those Medicare beneficiaries in our county who cannot afford high premiums for insurance not covered by the regular Medicare program. While we have encouraged New York State to take a leadership position regarding the availability of health care to all, we are concerned with the increasing tendency to impose financial burdens on counties in the process of expanding coverage. We also appreciate initiatives by the state to assist in dealing with workforce shortages which have become acute in many parts of the United States. It was our honor to nominate Jeffrey Menoff, D.D.S., a TLC Health Network employee, to receive the 2002 National Rural Health Association Practitioner of the year award. Western New York Rural Area Health Education Center (AHEC) The AHEC program has continued with great success and our county leads all of New York State in providing education to young people who maybe interested in careers in health care services in this county. Janet Clark of our staff has provided the leadership and we have placed more than 45 professional students in clinical rotation opportunities. We also started our first weeklong camp for middle school students to interest them in health care careers. We continue to work with the school districts in Chautauqua County to identify needs and make opportunities more apparent to our own young people so that we tend to solve our own health care professional shortage problems locally. The SeniorChoice Program Co-Sponsored by the Chautauqua Integrated Delivery System (IDS) In 1997, the CCHN acted to create a physician hospital organization which could provide Medicare services more efficiently in Chautauqua County. We created the IDS and continue to share staff resources and fulfill the mission of our organizations through the partnership with Univera and its SeniorChoice program. We provide affordable coverage for approximately 2,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Chautauqua County and have achieved an admirable record of meeting our medical expense targets and creating real value in this managed care product. Chautauqua Plan CCHN, working with the IDS, has successfully developed a concept for providing a community-oriented commercial health insurance plan in Chautauqua County. This program is called "the Chautauqua Plan" and has established its own Board of Directors which is comprised equally of employers and providers. We have finalized a contract with Group Health Incorporated (GHI) to provide insurance coverage through their Health Maintenance Organization and we will also offer administrative services to self-insured employers. The Chautauqua Plan will be an innovative community/physician/hospital organization which offers a progressive private label product to employers and people in Chautauqua County. Our medical management team, experienced through our Medicare initiative, will provide the local leadership needed to make sure that all of the health care decisions are made in the interest of the enrollees and the community. We have applied to New York State for the appropriate approvals necessary to commence this program and expect it to be fully operational in 2003. New Initiatives Health Professional Shortage Area CCHN took the leadership in developing a successful application to the United States Department of Health and Human Services for designation of the Jamestown area as a Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). The two major benefits of a HPSA designation are that providers of health care services for Medicare beneficiaries receive additional revenues and greater opportunity in retaining and recruiting high quality physicians to the Jamestown area. While other areas of Chautauqua County had previously been designated as Primary Care HPSAs and we are already designated as HPSAs for dental and mental health services, this was the first time the Jamestown area was ever recognized and became qualified for the benefits of this program. The new designation will improve the compensation for local physicians, allow us to offer a loan forgiveness program, and assist in enhancing physician immigration status. This designation will enhance our efforts to provide for excellence in health care by assisting in recruiting skilled physicians and retaining high quality positions in the Jamestown area. Marijka Lampard worked as a consultant to the CCHN in developing this application and developed the approach of including all of Chautauqua County and a few townships in Warren County Pennsylvania. The benefits accruing to a HPSA are automatic and the designation is effective for four years. Cancer Education and Screening Program The New York State Department of Health has awarded the Network and our community partners grant funding to screen men and women aged 50-64 for colon cancer and to inform the public of the screening opportunities available to them to detect prostate cancer. This project is anticipated to begin in the latter half of 2002. Sharon Mathe of our staff will direct this prevention program. Conclusion Chautauqua County is becoming a model of innovation and effectiveness in improving our health care delivery system. We have a number of programs and proposals which are at the forefront of the movement to develop effective health care for all people. CCHN has provided leadership in achieving positive results and developing coalitions of providers and others who have a stake in the improvement of our health care system. We have some reason to take pride in the programs and initiatives mentioned in this report, but are acutely aware of the challenges which lie ahead.
		\| Annual Report 2001-2002 \| Mission, Purpose & History \| Board of Directors \| Map \| Hospitals Physician Search \| Citizen Advisory Board \| Accomplishments & Activities Children's Health Initiative \| Area Health Education Center Translation Services \| Chautauqau Integrated Delivery System Hospital Employment \| Links of Interest \| Contact CCHN

Chautauqua County Health Network, Inc.

Annual Report 2001-2002

Our Founding Hospitals

Introduction

Mission

Message from the Executive Director

Community Health Initiative

Universal Health Care Initiative

Education and Advocacy

Western New York Rural Area Health Education Center (AHEC)

The SeniorChoice Program Co-Sponsored by the Chautauqua Integrated Delivery System (IDS)

Chautauqua Plan

New Initiatives

Health Professional Shortage Area

Cancer Education and Screening Program

Conclusion

The SeniorChoice Program Co-Sponsored by the
Chautauqua Integrated Delivery System (IDS)