DHH Secretary Releases Business Plan for 2012

Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011  |  Contact: Lisa R. Faust; (225) 342-7913 or (225) 252-3579 (cell)

BATON ROUGE - Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein today released the agency's 2012 business plan, "Leading Transformation: Our FY 2012 Priorities for a Healthier Louisiana." The plan, developed over the course of several months, outlines the Department's priorities for fiscal year 2012 and sets out detailed goals and deliverables to meet each of the those goals.

"This business plan is about our building a healthier Louisiana," said Secretary Greenstein. "This gives us a work plan that allows us to track our progress and ensure we're able to meet our goals to improve health and health care for the people of Louisiana."

The business plan issued today has three primary components. The "Health Care in Louisiana Today" section examines some of the challenges facing Louisiana on the health care front and much of the work already under way to address those challenges. The second section is the "Business Review," which is a first-of-its-kind summary of the extensive business and reach of DHH, which has a budget of $8.2 million and nearly 9,000 employees.

The final and largest portion outlines 20 "Transformational Priorities." Each priority is grouped into separate themes:

• Building Foundational Change for Better Health Outcomes
• Promoting Independence through Community-Based Care
• Managing Smarter for Better Performance

"Each one of these themes represents a guiding philosophy of our business," said Secretary Greenstein. "I believe in our agency's potential to be a catalyst for better health in Louisiana. Through smarter management, executable work plans, measureable goals and consistent accountability, we can change the way health care is financed and delivered in the state and along the way improve the lives of the people we serve."

Specific priorities under each theme represent a broad range of critical initiatives - most of which are in implementation phases.

Building Foundational Change for Better Health Outcomes

Because of the significant challenges Louisiana faces in health outcomes and the health status of its citizens, it is no surprise that the largest section of the business plan is around rebuilding systems that challenge the status quo with a laser-like focus on improving health outcomes. The nine initiatives under this theme are all already under way in some form or another, and the deliverables set under each one represent critical phases of implementation this fiscal year. They are:

• Medicaid Coordinated Care Network (CCN) Program
• Louisiana's Vision for Health Information Technology
• Greater New Orleans Community Health Connection (GNOCHC Clinics)
• Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS)
• Louisiana Behavioral Health Partnership (LBHP)
• Coordinated System of Care (CSoC)
• Integrating Behavioral Health Business Practices and Treatment Approaches
• Integrating Public Health and Primary Care
• Louisiana Birth Outcomes Project

Promoting Independence through Community-Based Care

For decades, institutional care has been the predominant approach to long-term care services in Louisiana. In recent years, the Department has been setting up the infrastructure and value structure to provide citizens with developmental disabilities as well as the aging population more robust independent living options. Each of the priorities in this theme carries that work to the next level with a detailed plan for making these transitions sustainable and more accessible with increased options and supports. They are:

• Redesigning the Community-based Long-Term Care Infrastructure
• Right Balancing Institutional and Community-Based Long-Term Care
• Employment First Initiative for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities
• Sustainable Home- and Community-Based Supports and Services
• Systems Rebalancing for People with Developmental Disabilities
• Strengthening the Home- and Community-Based Infrastructure

Managing Smarter for Better Performance

Each of the priorities in this theme is focused on improving services to constituents, using technology more effectively or protecting precious taxpayer resources. They are:

• Louisiana Electronic Event Registration System (LEERS)
• Louisiana's Disaster Data Collection System for Health Care Facilities - EMSTAT
• Combating Fraud and Abuse
• Eat Safe Louisiana
• DHH Information Technology

"It's simply not enough to say we're going to do things better," Secretary Greenstein said. "We have to make every deliverable measureable, every person accountable. I don't pretend this business plan will solve the state's vexing health care problems. What it does do, and I think this is incredibly important, is say that the agency charged with protecting and promoting the health of the people of Louisiana is committed to challenging the notion of business as usual and willing to be held openly accountable for our business."

To view the business plan, click here.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals strives to protect and promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all state citizens. To learn more about DHH, visit http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov. For up-to-date health information, news and emergency updates, follow DHH's blog, Twitter account and Facebook.