Study Progress

Now that site recruitment is closed, let's see what we have. There are 45 sites: 21 in the Active arm, 22 in the Control arm, and 2 Vanguard sites that are beta-testing parts of the intervention before we send it to the Active sites.

The sites are in 13 US states (Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Vermont and Washington):

Here is a breakdown of the ownership of the 45 participating practices:

We'll have more details going forward, so stay tuned!

- Ben Littenberg

A Balanced Portfolio Model For Improving Health: Concept And Vermont’s Experience

Health Affairs recently published an article by James Hester (IBHPC Stakeholder Advisory Board member) about Vermont's efforts to rationalize health care delivery over the past decade or so. Jim had a front-row seat for much of this dramatic activity as a staffer for the state and later for CMS. It is well-written, engaging, and makes a compelling case for considering a holistic approach to social welfare as a vehicle for improving health and health care.

Hester J. A Balanced Portfolio Model For Improving Health: Concept And Vermont’s Experience. Health Affairs; April 2018. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1237

Abstract: A successful strategy for improving population health requires acting in several sectors by implementing a portfolio of interventions. The mix of interventions should be both tailored to meet the community’s needs and balanced in several dimensions—for example, time frame, level of risk, and target population. One obstacle is finding sustainable financing for both the interventions and the community infrastructure needed. This article first summarizes Vermont’s experience as a laboratory for health reform. It then presents a conceptual model for a community-based population health strategy, using a balanced portfolio and diversified funding approaches. The article then reviews Vermont’s population health initiative, including an example of a balanced portfolio and lessons learned from the state’s experience.

Great work, Jim!

- Ben Littenberg

Site Recruitment milestone

As of today, 43 clinics are enrolled in the IBH-PC study! This is a big milestone as our study design calls for 40 sites. (I'm juiced that we have a few extras - statistical power is a numbers game.)  The randomization has yielded 21 Active practices and 22 in the Control arm. Baseline data collection has started and the data are starting to come in - very exciting!

Thank you to Juvena, Sylvie, Rodger and all the Cluster Leaders for making this happen.

-Ben Littenberg