While the 5 featured initiatives listed in the menu at left and the 26 additional initiatives listed above were measured and reported on at a system-wide level, some initiatives like 30-Day Readmission Rate and MRI Utilization Rate were managed at a PHO or individual physician level.  Learn about the objectives for these and the other remaining initiatives by clicking on the links provided below.

30-Day Readmission Rate
APP-Wide Cost Index
Board Certification
Clinical Laboratory Standardization 
HMO Quality Study Results
MRI Utilization Rate
Patient Satisfaction
Peer Satisfaction
Pharmaceutical: Generic Proton Pump Inhibitor, Nasal Steroid and Statin Use
Physician Education Roundtable Meetings
Specialty Care Referral Rate
Specialty Care Visit Rate

30-Day Readmission Rate

Objective: To introduce physicians to the metric of patients readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of an inpatient discharge and encourage participation at an individual level in reducing readmissions.

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APP-Wide Cost Index

Objective: To ensure effective use by Advocate Physician Partners physicians of Advocate hospital resources including inpatient beds, ambulatory surgery and primary care and specialty care physician services.

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Board Certification

Objective: To encourage physicians to obtain and retain board certification and to help ensure member physicians have met ongoing continuing medical education requirements.  This initiative also assists physicians in acquiring the latest information on mainstream health care trends and clinical treatment developments. 

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Clinical Laboratory Standardization

Objective: To promote efficiency and decrease the cost of medical care by using a single clinical laboratory.  Advocate Physician Partners encourages physicians to use a common lab to minimize duplication of testing, accommodate sharing of results electronically across sites of care and streamline the administrative process for providing quality improvement and operating disease management programs.

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Communication: Specialists to PCPs

Objective: To maintain effective coordination of care and patient satisfaction through consistent and timely communication.  Advocate Physician Partners' Clinical Integration Program includes a cluster or measures to optimize communications between the specialist and primary care physician, as well as between the physician and patient.

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HMO Quality Study Results

Objective: To encourage Advocate Physician Partners physicians to meet established goals for the five preventive health care initiatives adopted by Blue Cross of Illinois as part of the the Blue Star Medical Group/IPA Report from Blue program.

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MRI Utilization Rate

Objective: To measure a PCP group practice's efficiency of their patients' use of MRI and MRA scans, as compared to their Advocate Physician Partners peers within the same PCP specialty.

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Patient Satisfaction

Objective: To improve the patient experience by providing higher-quality care, encouraging patient compliance with key initiatives, increasing satisfaction among staff, reducing the number of preventable medical mistakes and malpractice lawsuits and offering economic savings.

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Peer Satisfaction

Objective: To improve the continuity of care received by the patient by making communication between primary care physicians and specialty care physicians more effective.  Measuring satisfaction and encouraging improvement actions demonstrate the organization's commitment to quality care and patient satisfaction.

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Pharmaceutical: Generic Proton Pump Inhibitor, Nasal Steroid and Statin Use

Objective: To increase the use of appropriate generic steroid, statin and proton pump inhibitor medications.  These medications are projected to be significant drivers of pharmaceutical spending growth in upcoming years.  Use of the generic will result in savings to employers, payers and consumers.

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Physician Education Roundtable Meetings

Objective: To educate physicians on the Clinical Integration Program initiatives and evidence-based care. Advocate Physician Partners provides interactive online education sessions highlighting key Clinical Integration Program initiatives, clinical guidelines/protocols and patient outreach programs to improve physician performance and outcomes. In addition, in 2009 the initiative was expanded to require attendance by the physician practice office managers to further assure integration of these tools and techniques at the practice office. 

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Specialty Care Referral Rate

Objective: To assure effective use by Advocate Physician Partners physicians of Advocate hospital resources including inpatient beds, ambulatory surgery and specialty care physician services.  The Ingenix Impact Specialty Care Referral Rate Index measures a PCP's efficiency of their patients' use of specialists, as compared to the specialty referral rate of their peers within the same specialty. 

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Specialty Care Visit Rate 

Objective: To maintain the viability of the HMO products within Advocate Physician Partners by managing shared risk HMO medical expenses.  

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