• Home
• About PaMed
• FAQs
• Site Map
• Contact Us

• CME
  • CME Activities
  • CME Tracker: The CME Organizer
  • Meetings and Seminars
  • Requirements and Accreditation
• Government
  • State of Medicine 2007
  • Capitol Insight
  • Contact Legislators
  • Laws Affecting Physicians
  • News from Harrisburg
  • PAMPAC and Political Support
• Newsletters
  • Capitol Insight
  • Consult
  • Converge
  • intouch
  • Patient Connection
  • Studies in Patient Safety
  • Vital Lines
• Patient Care
  • Disease Management
  • Family Health and Wellness
  • Find-A-Physician
  • Patient Safety
  • Public Health
  • Patient Connection
• Practice Management
  • Health Insurers
  • HIPAA
  • Medicare/Medicaid
  • Meetings and Seminars
  • Running a Practice
  • Vital Lines
• Resources
  • Affiliates & Sections
  • Board of Trustees
  • County Medical Societies
  • Endorsed Vendors
  • House of Delegates
  • JobBank
  • Media
  • Member Directory
  • Membership
  • Specialty Societies
  • Staff Directory

Governor Issues Executive Orders to Launch Chronic Care and Health Care Equity Initiatives

As promised earlier this year, Gov. Ed Rendell issued two executive orders May 21 to launch additional portions of his Prescription for Pennsylvania. The executive orders address chronic disease management and health care equity.

The executive order establishing the Chronic Care Management Commission is of particular interest to the Society. It is designed to implement the governor’s chronic care model “in all relevant health care sites throughout Pennsylvania.” In May, the Society’s Board approved the launch of a collaborative initiative to bring together physicians, allied health professionals, health systems, hospitals and others to promote the chronic disease management model.

The second order establishes the Office of Health Equity in the Department of Health, to help eliminate disparities in health care access and quality.

State Society President Mark A. Piasio, MD, MBA, joined the governor for the executive order announcement, along with Eric Gertner, MD, MPH, chair of the Society’s Executive Council on Patient Advocacy and an internist with Lehigh Valley Hospital, who has been appointed to serve on the new commission. Dr. Gertner is also leading the Society’s collaborative initiative.

The governor’s commission will consist of members of his cabinet, the executive director of Pennsylvania Employee Benefit Trust Fund, physicians, insurers, allied health professionals, home health care providers, patients, consumers, and hospitals. In addition to providing patients with information and skills to help them manage their health and clarifying the roles and tasks of health care providers, the commission will:

• Ensure that the Chronic Care Model complies with established practice guidelines;
• Establish regional community learning collaboratives and form alliances with community-based organizations to help support care;
• Develop a statewide chronic care information system;
• Identify a system to review patient registries to provide insurer claims data to primary care physicians;
• Gather payer data to measure provider performance and work with insurers to examine current reimbursement systems.

The commission’s initial work with the Pennsylvania Diabetes Action Partnership will be incorporated into cooperative efforts to tackle other chronic conditions such as depression, asthma, chronic congestive heart disease, and lung disease.