CAPH/SNI to Host PRIME Webinar, UCLA Releases Interim PRIME Evaluation

The California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (CAPH)/Safety Net Institute (SNI) will host a webinar on December 16 from 1:00 pm-2:00 pm to detail the progress and impact of California’s public health care systems in PRIME (Public Hospital Redesign and Incentives in Medi-Cal), a key program of the Medi-Cal 2020 waiver. During the webinar, participants will learn about PRIME performance data and implementation trends for year four of the program and learn from Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and the University of California, San Diego in their experiences in care delivery and data analytics, including how efforts have improved patients’ lives.

Webinar details and registration are available here.

Relatedly, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research recently released its interim evaluation examining how the 18 PRIME projects were implemented by 54 public hospitals in California, challenges encountered, strategies used to overcome challenges, and early outcomes of their efforts. Results indicated establishment of needed infrastructures such as health information technology and protocols, delivery of care based on evidence-based guidelines, and regular monitoring of efforts.

The interim evaluation found that better care outcomes realized through the projects included increased screening for depression and follow-up, tobacco assessment and counseling, colorectal cancer screening, and high blood pressure screening and follow-up. Examples of improvements in better health included increased numbers of patients with hypertension control and reduced numbers of patients whose diabetes was not under control.

The draft evaluation is currently with the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and is expected to be finalized after comments and feedback from CMS are addressed. The full interim evaluation is available here.