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 The
North Carolina Alliance for Healthy Communities began with the first
meeting held on December 16, 1999 at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center
in Greensboro, North Carolina. This organizational meeting was entitled "North
Carolina Quality Collaboration". Attendees were representatives from the four
largest Health Plans in North Carolina (Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina,
PARTNERS,
CIGNA, and
UnitedHealthcare of North
Carolina), which made up 82 percent of the managed care market in North
Carolina at that time, a representative from the
North Carolina Association for
HealthCare Quality and representatives from
Pfizer Pharmaceutical.
 In
January of 2000 the group decided to meet on a monthly basis and invited a
speaker from
The
Foundation for Healthy Communities in New Hampshire to speak about the Pros
and Cons of a statewide collaboration for Healthcare Quality Improvement in
North Carolina.
These initial two meetings were the framework for the
current organization. For the first time, quality professionals from major
health plans, quality associations and pharmaceutical companies are making
decisions together, not as competitors. We feel that there is a great strength
in numbers and are prepared for future growth. Through the initiatives we have
planned, we hope to educate, inform and help shape the future of healthcare in
North Carolina.
We are very proud to have accomplished many
initiatives since our inception. Following are examples of some of those
accomplishments:
- Developed
Vision/Mission Statements, Association Bylaws, Annual
Strategic Business Plan, and Logo.
- Obtained 501c3 status on August 1, 2002 as designated by the Department of Treasury's Internal Revenue Service. This designation allows us to operate under a non-profit status and assigns a federal tax ID# which is utilized during grant and donor requests. Renewal of the 501c3 status was granted on May 21, 2007.
- Obtained 501(C)3 status on
August 1, 2002 as designated by the Department of Treasury's Internal Revenue
Service. This designation allows us to operate under a non-profit status and
assigns a federal tax ID# which is utilized during grant and donor requests.
- Actively involved in
producing and disseminating a number of healthcare guidelines for physician
offices and other healthcare facilities. These documents include
Asthma Guidelines, Preventive Health
Guidelines, Recommended Childhood Immunization Schedule Guidelines and a joint
Preferred Drug List.
- Consolidated managed care
data collection tools in collaboration with the
North Carolina Association for
Health Plans (NCAHP) to reduce the burden to provider's offices. The
Site Visit Assessment and
Medical Record Assessment Tools for Managed
Care Plans are available for download in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format.
- Host an Annual Education Forum on timely topics impacting healthcare in North Carolina.
- Hosted a diabetes education
initiative which comprised a series of three educational sessions for patients
which were led by Certified Diabetes Educators and held across the state in
seven locations.
- Developed uniform Asthma Guidelines through by bringing the managed care plans together to offer a consistent clinical process for North Carolina healthcare providers, managed care plans and people with asthma. The guidelines were adopted from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute ( NHLBI) / National Institutes of Health.
- Created the NC Preferred Drug List wall poster which contained information to help healthcare providers understand which medicines were covered by the patient’s health insurance plan – this way the provider could prescribe the medicine that would treat the condition and save the patient money. This poster was distributed to healthcare professionals across the state. The information is now available in the online version in the NC Medication Management Resource Center.
- Develop the Preventive Health Guidelines & Recommended Immunization Schedule & Immunization Clarification Guidelines wall poster which contained guideline information for how and when to screen a patient for certain diseases & when vaccinations were due. The information is now available in the online version in the NC Provider: Wellness Promotion, Disease Awareness, & Guidelines & the Consumer: Wellness Promotion & Disease Awareness Resource Centers.
- Developed the
NC Weight Management Registry. An educational,
web-based, weight management resource that supports practitioners, patients and
the general public in identifying weight management treatment programs and
services across the state.
- Developed the
NC Medication Management Resource Center, a
consolidated source of information for healthcare providers, employers and
consumers. This resource includes information on which drugs are on formulary,
require step edits and prior authorizations that are specific to health
insurer. The site includes information on drug safety, helpful hints for taking
medication, links to product information for the top prescribed drugs, links to
financial assistance programs and information around Medicare Part D
programs.
- Developed the NC Healthcare
Resource Center, a tool designed to help address the public's and providers'
challenges associated with finding critical healthcare information. This
Resource Center will assist healthcare professionals; providers, employers,
employees and/or patients find disease specific, drug, insurance, quality,
wellness, guidelines and other helpful information. Resource Centers
include:
NC Weight Management
Registry
NC Medication Management Resource
Center
NC Health Insurance Resource
Center
NC Healthcare Quality Resource Center
NC Employer Wellness Resource Center
NC Wellness Promotion and Disease Awareness Resource Center for
Consumers
NC Healthcare Provider Wellness Promotion,
Disease Awareness and Guideline Resource Center for Providers
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