Baylor Scott & White Health, Eight Other Systems Form Texas Care Alliance

Group to Share Data to Improve Quality and Accelerate Innovation

Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest non-profit health system in Texas, is one of nine Texas health systems joining forces to share clinical and administrative data to improve quality and efficiency, lower health care costs and accelerate medical innovation in patient care.

Called the Texas Care Alliance (TCA), it was founded by Baylor Scott & White and Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics of Tyler in March 2013 to facilitate the coordination and delivery of health care services that are people-centered and physician-driven to improve the overall health of a defined population. TCA also includes Community Hospital Corporation, Plano; Good Shepherd Health System, Longview; Hendrick Health System, Abilene; Medical Center Health System, Odessa; Midland Memorial Hospital, Midland; Shannon Health System, San Angelo; and United Regional Health Care System, Wichita Falls.

The systems' service areas cover 193 Texas counties. TCA members have 20 percent of the state's hospital beds with more than 6,800 employed or affiliated physicians.

"Now more than ever, it is critical for community-based health care providers to collaborate and accelerate change," said Joel Allison, Baylor Scott & White Health CEO and TCA chairman of the board. "The TCA exists to support providers who are stepping up to the challenges of health care now and in the future. We are going to demonstrate innovative, value-based methods for reducing costs and improving quality in a post-health care reform world."

"The triple aim of health care is to improve the quality of care delivered to our patients, improve their experience of that care and reduce per capita costs," said Dr. Robert Pryor, Baylor Scott & White Health chief medical officer and chief operating officer. "TCA will be the platform for providers to adopt common metrics, measure performance and share clinical and administrative best practices with its membership."

The practice of paying hospitals and physicians for quality of care rather than for the amount of care is spreading at a rapid rate. According to a recent survey, quality-based payment will account for two-thirds of health care revenue in five years, compared with one-third today.

To qualify for payment based on value, providers are employing powerful analytical tools for population health and risk management. TCA will be using Explorys, a data platform that is a spinoff of the Cleveland Clinic. The Explorys network includes more than 310 hospitals and 220,000 practitioners. Explorys will facilitate data sharing between practitioners, payers and health systems. The data will allow health care providers to build a composite view of a population's health to meet care needs, improve quality and assess risk of disease.

TCA will be able to harness the data from tens of millions of patient encounters from these health systems and compare to the TCA experience as a whole as well as individual hospital and practitioner level to minimize uncertainty and potential study bias as better care, improved health at a lower cost is achieved.


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About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com