SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — High-tech tools developed by the National Business Coalition on Health to facilitate employers' value-based purchasing of health care services may find their way into federal and state health insurance exchange technology.

NBCH's eValue8 questions have already been integrated into the health plan measures for public insurance exchanges established in California and Maryland, said Karen Linscott, chief operating officer of the Washington-based organization of purchaser-led business and health coalitions.

In addition, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management is assessing the possibility of using eValue8 measures in the federal health exchange and for their Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, she said.

“They will not make final decisions about whether to include eValue8 for some time, but their interest indicates that our emphasis on quality and value is becoming more broadly accepted throughout the health care system,” Ms. Linscott said.

The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality “also funded a research project assessing how to adapt our measures so they are relevant for consumers directly. Right now, they are structured for the employers,” she said during an interview at NBCH's 18th annual conference held Nov. 18-20 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

eValue8 was devised by the NBCH to measure and evaluate health plan performance. The tool asks health providers probing questions about how they manage critical processes that control costs, reduce and eliminate waste, ensure patient safety, close gaps in care, and improve health and health care.

%%BREAK%%

NBCH also is developing other technology designed to help employers determine where best to invest their health care dollars so they can get the greatest return on their investment. Its latest innovation, ValuePort, unveiled at the conference, uses a combination of paid health benefit claims and self-reported employee health risk assessment data to help employers prioritize their greatest employee health improvement opportunities.

In addition, employers can use the tool to benchmark their workers' health risks against those of other employers. ValuePort can be used by self-insured and fully insured employers, as long as they have access to their employees' claims and health risk data.

Developed with financial support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, ValuePort was piloted by employer health coalitions engaging more than 40 employers of varying sizes, Ms. Linscott said.

The tool identifies and quantifies the effects of 12 health risks and/or chronic conditions and suggests strategies to address them, including changes in plan design, enhanced provider management, worksite environmental changes and employer involvement in community programs targeting the conditions (see box).

Though ValuePort initially was designed to identify these risks and conditions, it can be customized to detect and identify strategies to address other health risks and/or conditions unique to certain employer groups, Ms. Linscott said. It also enhances the capabilities of eValue8, which is used annually by employers to compare and contrast health plan performance in managing population health.

Initially, ValuePort is being licensed to employer coalitions. In the next several months, however, it will be made available to individual employers and providers, such as benefits brokers that may want to use the tool as a value-added service to assist their employer clients in population health management and value-based purchasing initiatives, Ms. Linscott said.

NBCH's annual meeting attracted 320 attendees, including 55 employers representing purchaser-led business and health coalitions whose 7,000 employer members provide health benefits to 25 million U.S. employees and their dependents.