CHARLESTON – Over 400 West Virginians seeking to improve the state’s health care system have joined a new health care reform initiative – now known as The Roadmap to Health Project – that was formed in mid May.
 
“The four different working groups are meeting every two weeks and I am encouraged by the enthusiasm and effort,” said Senate Health and Human Resources Chairman Roman Prezioso, D-Marion. “We all agree we must move quickly, but also be thorough in our examination of West Virginia’s health care system.”
 
Recognizing that a number of health care reform efforts were in progress and that a shared approach was needed, Chairman Prezioso and House Health and Human Resources Chairman Don Perdue, D-Wayne, along with members of the Joint Select Committee on Health, launched The Roadmap to Health Project.
 
“Everyone engaged in health care recognizes that it is no longer a question of whether we need to reform the health care delivery system, but how we can come together and do it,” Perdue said. “West Virginians deserve, and should expect, a state-of-the-art health care delivery system that is easily accessible. We’re working to determine how to make that happen.”
 
The participants bring a vast variety of perspectives to the table – health care advocates, physicians, health care facility administrators, pharmaceutical company representatives, state health officials, insurance providers, business owners and labor union members.  The four committees are assigned the following areas: administrative simplification, chronic care information technology, health system redesign and wellness/prevention.
 
“The meetings have been productive and we hope to soon have a web site up that will encourage further participation and interaction,” Prezioso said.
 
The web site, expected to be ready in September, will allow anyone to easily join the project and provide input. There will be a blog, as well as regular updates on the progress of the working groups.
 
* The Health System Redesign Work Group is researching extensively various chronic care models around the country to develop a medical model of care that would be available to all West Virginians and would insure primary and preventative care for all, a starting point for reform of the entire system.  
 
* The Administrative Simplification Work Group is looking at provider credentialing; consumer-friendly hospital and physician statements; and the explanation of benefits, member identification cards and prior authorization requirements of payors.
 
* The Chronic Care Management/Health Information Technology Work Group is focusing on three primary areas: incentives to drive electronic medical records implementation in small clinics and offices; use of best electronic medical records practices; and creation of a system to provide ongoing support for electronic record usage through training and other educational programs.
 
* The Wellness and Health Promotion Work Group has zeroed in on substance abuse; safety issues; immunizations; nutrition; and physical activity/physical education.
 
“We are convinced that West Virginia can become a leader in a national health care reform movement that is inevitable,” Perdue noted. “Never before have so many divergent interests come together with such resolve and unity.”