Did You Know?

Some among our friends and stakeholders will know that following the 2005 Emerging Issues Forum, My Health is Your Business, the Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) worked for many months on an evidenced-based healthcare initiative called NC Bestcare.  We mobilized relevant stakeholders and raised $1.2 million from the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund to support the project.  Eventually, it was merged with a similar initiative launched by the governor's office.

We are delighted to report that on April 3, 2008, Gov. Mike Easley announced his plan to fundamentally restructure the delivery of health care in North Carolina by standardizing the level of care and insurance coverage for the five most chronic conditions. This unique plan will do more than any other in the nation to improve citizens’ health, help doctors deliver the quality care they strive for and save hundreds of millions of dollars in medical costs.

“Best-practice guidelines” for care will be implemented for each of these diseases to ensure consistently high quality of care for all North Carolinians.  North Carolina’s Community Care networks of physicians and the Area Health Education Centers’ physician training centers will assist the doctors in delivering best practice care.  They will receive tools for patient support, so patients can play a larger role in maintaining and improving their own health.

Finally, a program has been developed to monitor results so that the goal of improved health and reduced cost can be achieved throughout the state.  IEI will continue to follow this initiative and keep you apprised of any updates.