HealthPartners and Park Nicollet clinics earn high marks for diabetes,
vascular disease and depression treatment

Minnesota Bridges to Excellence recognizes clinics with pay-for-performance rewards

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Patients with diabetes, vascular disease or clinical depression are getting some of the best possible care at dozens of HealthPartners and Park Nicollet clinics, based on new recognition by the Minnesota Health Action Group.

Clinics that achieve optimal, high-quality care for a certain percentage of patients or demonstrate significant improvement over the previous year are eligible for a Minnesota Bridges to Excellence reward. Three of the focus areas – diabetes, vascular disease and depression – are known to be primary drivers of health care costs.

“Our clinic teams have a lot to be proud of and this recognition demonstrates that you can deliver on cost and quality while putting patients’ needs first,” said Steven Connelly, MD, Co-Executive Director of the Care Group.

Across HealthPartners and Park Nicollet, 14 clinics were recognized for achieving optimal diabetes care, 30 for achieving optimal vascular care and 70 for achieving optimal depression care based on depression remission after six months of treatment.

Just five clinics across the state met optimal care achievement goals for all the focus conditions. Three of the five are HealthPartners or Park Nicollet clinics: HealthPartners Arden Hills Clinic and Park Nicollet Carlson and Golden Valley clinics.

Minnesota Bridges to Excellence is a purchaser-led, pay-for-performance program introduced by the Minnesota Health Action Group in 2006. It advances both care delivery and outcomes by rewarding clinics for meeting or exceeding a strict set of care standards for patients with diabetes, depression and vascular disease. The financial rewards are made possible by a group of public and private health care purchasers that sponsors the program. Together this group provides health insurance to nearly a million people across Minnesota.

Optimal diabetes measures include levels of blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure, along with non-smoking status and daily aspirin use. Vascular disease measurements include levels of cholesterol and blood pressure, along with non-smoking status, and daily aspirin use. Optimal depression measurements include remission, response and use of the PHQ-9, an evaluation tool. Both the remission and response measures are based on the patient’s improvement in their PHQ-9 score over a six-month period of time.

View the complete list of reward recipients.