Press release

Alameda Alliance for Health Achieves Large Quality Improvement Gains to Control Blood Pressure Rates Among Medi-Cal Members

(Alameda, CA, August 11, 2017) – Beginning in January 2014, Alameda Alliance for Health (Alliance) was one of nine health plans in California to participate in the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) quality improvement collaborative, in coordination with the Million Hearts initiative dedicated to improving hypertension control for Medi-Cal members. The United States Department of Health and Human Services established the Million Hearts initiative, co-lead by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

During the intervention period between January 2014 through December 2015, the Alliance participated in collaborative calls with DHCS to discuss best practices to control high blood pressure through analyzing antihypertensive medication adherence among our member population. The Alliance worked in partnership with our provider partners to track and monitor our members who were at higher risk for elevated blood pressure, and to better collect the encounter data related to follow-up visits and treatments. As a result of these efforts, the Alliance significantly improved controlled blood pressure rates by 33.9%, and achieved the largest gain among the other health plans participating in the initiative.

“Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor for deaths related to coronary heart disease and stroke among people in our community” said Alliance CEO Scott Coffin. “Our participation in this health collaborative is a demonstration of our continued commitment to provide access to quality care and to deliver the highest levels of service to our members.”

The lessons learned from this initiative will support our investment and ongoing efforts to work collaboratively with our provider partners and members to improve health outcomes.

About Alameda Alliance for Health 

Alameda Alliance for Health is a local, public, not-for-profit managed care health plan committed to making high-quality health care services accessible and affordable to Alameda County residents. Established in 1996, the Alliance was created by and for Alameda County residents. The Alliance Board of Governors, leadership, staff, and provider network reflect the county’s cultural and linguistic diversity. The Alliance provides health care coverage to more than 267,000 low-income children and adults through National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) accredited Medi-Cal and Alliance Group Care programs.

Media Contact
Michelle Lewis
510-373-5607
mlewis@alamedaalliance.org