Program areas at UHF
See schedule ouhf's quality institute works to improve health system performance by addressing quality and patient safety concerns and promoting greater focus on health inequities. Uhf trains and engages quality improvement and equity leaders; develops and promotes innovative strategies to strengthen and spread best practices; fosters patient and family engagement and informed decision making; analyzes the impact of uneven health quality; prioritizes the needs of populations experiencing inequities; and bridges gaps in quality assessment, quality improvement, and care coordination. The quality institute builds on uhf's decade-long experience in implementing health care quality initiatives and grant-making activities as well as its role as a neutral and trusted convener of diverse stakeholders in the health care community. Uhf, partnering with greater New York Hospital association (gnyha), graduated the 12th class of its clinical quality fellowship program, and reached the final third in training a New fellowship class of 30 physicians, nurses, and physician assistants, matching the largest ever class size. The program supports the training and professional development of early and mid-career clinicians from hospitals across the region to help them to lead and champion quality improvement initiatives in their own institutions. Uhf launched a two-year collaborative with six skilled nursing facilities to address polypharmacy (medication overload) and medication management issues, identified as one of the biggest issues facing nursing home residents and skilled nursing facilities. The collaborative profiled and shared successful interventions undertaken by the participating facilities and provided resources to improve quality of care. Participating nursing facilities were supported through in-person meetings, coaching from expert faculty, and a digital resource library to help nursing facilities improve their processes. Uhf launched an 18-month task force consisting of 24 leaders from New York health care organizations to develop a framework to embed equity in efforts to improve quality.uhf continued its quality leaders forum in 2022 providing an opportunity for regional clinical quality leaders to address current issues through intimate discussions with local and national experts. Virtual forum meetings in 2022 included conversations with the chief medical officer of the New York city department of health and mental hygiene on addressing racism in medicine, a panel on patents and healthcare safety and the intersectionality with staff psychological safety, and the president of the commonwealth Fund on government's role in health care quality improvement.
See schedule ouhf's medicaid institute works to effect positive change in the design and operation of New York state's medicaid program, which serves more than 7.5 million New yorkers and accounts for spending of approximately $100 billion annually. Medicaid accounts for about a third of the state's health care economy. The medicaid institute produces research, analysis, and publications that inform policy discussions at every stage and level, and convenes meetings, and conferences with government officials, health care providers, insurers, program administrators, advocates, and other major stakeholders, to identify and address important issues affecting both health care providers and beneficiaries. In 2022, the medicaid institute conducted background research for the New York state medicaid program in support of the development of the state's medicaid waiver concept to better coordinate the delivery of health care, behavioral health services, and social care to low-income New yorkers through regional systems of providers and community-based organizations and more targeted community health interventions defined by the communities themselves. Uhfs analysis was cited in the draft proposal released in april 2022 and the final request submitted to the federal government for approval in september 2022. Uhf hosted the 2022 medicaid conference, which brought together over 600 policymakers, providers, insurers, community organizations, and policy experts statewide to share and discuss important issues in New York's medicaid program. This year was uhf's first free hybrid event making it accessible to anyone to attend. The conference, "investing in equity and collaboration" featured a keynote by amir bassiri, the state's medicaid director. Other sessions included panels on regional health planning, connecting to medicaid before release from the criminal justice system, and leveraging community networks to address social needs.
See schedule ouhf's clinical-community partnerships priority area works to reduce inequities by building and advancing more effective, sustainable methods of collaboration between health care entities and communities to address the social factors driving health inequities. Uhf launched the third year of the pediatrics for an equitable developmental start (peds) learning network, which aims to reduce inequities in childhood by increasing the number of young children receiving primary care-based interventions that promote healthy development, address unmet social and developmental needs, and strengthen families. The program began training its second class of fellows that included eight child-serving clinicians, who participated in the 15-month fellowship program for emerging leaders. The fellowship curriculum includes leadership skill development, coaching, and training on principles and practices to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion into service delivery. The program also included a broader educational series for children's health champions featuring webinars on the critical role clinical-community partnerships can play in minimizing the impact on children and families losing insurance coverage as the public health emergency comes to an end, the pediatric and adolescent mental health crisis enveloping children and families, and strategies and resources for child-serving providers to improve early childhood literacy. Uhf provided technical and financial support to four selected pediatric practices in New York city that serve over 1,500 low-income young children/families to implement or expand early childhood literacy programs in the physician office setting, focusing on a 2-generational approach to literacy and the importance of a literacy-rich pediatric office environment. The project provides access to training, resources, and support to these practices serving neighborhoods impacted by low literacy rates, high rates of undocumented and immigrant families, and those at high risk of homelessness.
In keeping uhf's increased focus on equitable health care, our broader coverage and access work concentrated on large scale health system changes as well as more discrete opportunities to address health care disparities. Uhf published a seminal analysis on the role of health plans and their regulators in proactively promoting health equity. A national environmental scan identified opportunities ranging from internal diversity improvement to paying for social care and investing real dollars in underserved communities.integrating health care and social care and the gun violence epidemic were the main topics of the 33rd annual symposium on health care services in New York: research and practice, jointly sponsored by United Hospital Fund and the greater New York Hospital association. More than 100 participants joined for a keynote presentation by the jewish board ceo dr. jeffrey brenner followed by a panel of New York state and health system leaders focused on practical cross-sector solutions to address gun violence. Uhf awarded $425,000 in grants in fy23 to support ongoing programs to address polypharmacy in nursing homes, to support clinical quality improvement training and specially access work with New York area providers, and to help community based organizations conduct outreach to ensure more than 9 million New yorkers are able to maintain health insurance during the unwind of the covid-19 era continuous coverage requirement. Other program expense description expenses revenuepublications and info. Services $1,464,436 $0library $189,833 $0grant $686,546 $25,090insurance access $346,092 $0program general $49,562 $0