OFFICE OF HEALTH STRATEGY NAMES HEALTHCARE BENCHMARKS EXPERT TEAM TO SET NEXT FIVE-YEAR TARGETS

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OCTOBER 30, 2024

(Hartford, CT) - The Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) is pleased to announce the membership of a new advisory body to advise the office in advancing the Healthcare Benchmark Initiative. OHS has named a team of experts in healthcare economics, health policy and related fields to advise the agency in establishing the next five-year healthcare cost growth benchmarks and primary care spending targets. The Connecticut Healthcare Benchmark Initiative plays a key role in improving the health of state residents by ensuring access to high-quality affordable health care.

OHS publishes Healthcare Cost Growth Benchmark, Quality Benchmarkand Primary Care Spending Targetreports annually documenting performance against the benchmarks and targets. State statute requires the cost growth benchmark and primary care spending targets to be set in five-year increments. The current set of standards expires in 2025. The Healthcare Benchmarks Initiative (HCBI) Technical Team will work with OHS to develop a methodology to establish a new set of annual cost growth benchmark and primary care spending targets for the years 2026-2030. Recommendations from the Technical Team will be shared and reviewed with the HCBI Steering Committeewhich consists of providers, payers, consumers and other experts in Connecticut.

Connecticut came close to reaching the cost growth benchmark target for calendar year 2022, the most recent year for which data was available. Adjusted for population growth, per person healthcare spending grew 3.4%, slightly exceeding the benchmark of 3.2%.

"Connecticut's Healthcare Benchmark Initiative demonstrates the state's commitment to addressing healthcare affordability and access," said Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP, Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement. "I look forward to working with this distinguished group of experts from around the country to help the OHS continue to administer a benchmark program focused on quality of care and data integrity, validity and transparency." Dr. Berwick has been named to the technical team.

"OHS is grateful to this exceptional group of individuals for offering their time and expertise to the state of CT and our benchmark program. We want to ensure that our data, methods and recommendations are valid, up-to-date and grounded in the best evidence, and this advisory Team will be invaluable to us and the Steering Committee in doing our work" said Deidre Gifford, Commissioner of Health Strategy.

Connecticut Healthcare Benchmark Initiative Technical Team (2026-2030):

• Loren Adler, MS, Fellow and Associate Director, Center on Health Policy, Brookings Institution
• Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement
• Sabrina Corlette, JD, Co-Director, Center of Health Insurance Reforms, Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy
• Francois de Brantes, MS, MBA, Senior Partner, High Value Care Incentives Advisory Group
• Stefan Gildemeister, MA, State Health Economist and Director, Minnesota Department of Health
• Paul Grady, Connecticut Business Group on Health
• Jason Hockenberry, PhD, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Department Chair and Professor of Public Health (Health Policy)
• Chris Manzi, MBA, President, Pequot Health Care
• Roslyn (Roz) Murray, PhD, MPP, Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice, Brown University Affiliated Faculty, Center for Advancing Health Policy through Research
• Joshua Wojcik, Director, Health Policy and Benefits Services Division, Office of the State Comptroller

The HCBI Technical Team will complete their work by March 2025. Additional information about the Healthcare Benchmarks Initiativeand the HCBI Technical Team is available on the OHS website.

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