Strength in numbers

Coalitions connect local health care needs and strengths with national agenda to create change

When someone has a problem, often the first thing they do is find other people who are in a similar situation. Why? For one thing, finding a solution to a complicated situation is easier when you have more people to lend their expertise and perspective. Two heads are better than one, right? But, joining forces with others also gives you more leverage and a greater ability to influence key decision makers and leaders who might be more inclined to listen to a group of consumers versus a single person.

Such is the case with health care.

In health care, that strength in numbers comes in the form of coalitions like the Buyers Health Care Action Group (BHCAG) and the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH).

Coalitions exist to unite like-minded groups of people and organizations together under a common goal and to enable them to work together to create change.

In my new role as board chair for the NBCH and through the work that BHCAG is committed to, I’ve seen how influential a group of like-minded organizations can be. But what makes these organizations work is the balance of national and regional influence and perspective they offer.

You’ve heard me say many times that all health care is local, and I believe this truth will hold even as health care reform is enacted in the coming years. How then, you might wonder, does a national organization like NBCH figure into the equation if health care is, at its heart, local?

The answer is simple and clear. The NBCH provides the national perspective and presence in Washington that regional coalitions often can’t fund. The NBCH also provides support services for local coalitions to help them implement reform at the local level. The 60 member coalitions and more than 7,000 employer organizations across the country - including BHCAG members and employer organizations - benefit from the efforts and influence of the NBCH in several ways, including:

• The ability to use NBCH as our collective voice to policy makers in Washington and as a source for information on national health care reform
• Access to research on health care trends, best practices, and employer response to reform
• Partnership and participation in national programs that drive marketplace change, like eValue8, Bridges to Excellence and the Leapfrog survey
• The opportunity to learn from the experience of other markets and coalitions and to share best practices with business leaders through activities like the College for Value Based Purchasing
• Access to events like the Health and Productivity Forum and the National Leadership Council, which address trends in health management and health reform and provide opportunity for both learning and dialog with your peers
• Opportunities to participate in the national, as well as local, legislative process through work groups and task forces as a NBCH and BCHAG member

The guiding principles that have made BHCAG a driving force in health reform and that have made Minnesota a leader in health care for decades are still relevant in the current economy:

• Pay for quality
• Abide by common standards and measures
• Share data publicly
• Use technology to reduce costs and engage the consumer

These principles also align directly with the purchasing principles for which BHCAG advocates and that made the Smart Buy Alliance a successful early model of an accountable care organization. You will see BHCAG and the NBCH continue to advocate for these principles as we collectively pursue payment reform:

• Buy from the best
• Work toward common standards
• Engage the consumer
• Push for health information technology

NBCH member coalitions, like BHCAG, are an integral part of health reform in their own communities and home states, but they are also closely connected to the national work that the NBCH leads. This combination of national presence and local support is unique to the NBCH and differentiates the coalition from other national organizations that merely disseminate information to employer groups, but that do not provide the ongoing support to affect local change.

As the implementation of the health care reform legislation becomes a reality, our ability to unite against a common cause and with a singular focus will produce better quality, more efficiently delivered health care for all Americans. If you are interested in becoming more actively involved in health reform through BHCAG locally or nationally through the NBCH, please contact me and I will answer any questions you might have.

In the spirit of collaboration,

Carolyn Pare

President and CEO

Buyers Health Care Action Group