MNCM Services
Who We Serve
MNCM services empower health care decision makers with meaningful data to drive improvement. We strive to deliver products that meet the specific needs of each stakeholder.
For health care providers and payers, MNCM is a trusted community collaborative offering data that illustrate performance on health care quality and cost with comparison to peers in the market. MNCM data recognize excellence and shed light on opportunities to improve quality outcomes and address disparities.
Providers, health plans and other payers that contribute data to MNCM receive a standard set of feedback reports. Founding and supporting members of MNCM have access to additional benefits, and all are welcome to join MNCM in our efforts to support the community in improving together.
For policy makers and researchers, MNCM is a trusted community collaborative offering timely data that illustrate statewide performance on health care quality and cost measures, as well as valuable expertise that can be used to inform sound policy. The data collected by MNCM are also valuable for program evaluation and other research that advances the body of knowledge supporting improvement in health care quality, equity and affordability.
Policy makers are encouraged to review MNCM Community Reports for the most recent statewide data. Additional detail on MNCM research and evaluation partnerships are available under Contract Services.
For employers, patients and caregivers, MNCM is a trusted community collaborative offering key insights into how medical groups and clinics score on health care quality and cost measures. This information provides helpful insights to patients and caregivers in their efforts to access high value care.
Employers, patients and caregivers are key stakeholders that participate in MNCM governance and inform the strategic direction for measurement and reporting in our community. Those interested in engagement opportunities can subscribe to the Measurement Minute newsletter.
Key resources to check out include our community reports and the MNHealthScores website.
Measurement & Reporting
MNCM is proud to partner with several organizations that support statewide measurement and reporting. Measurement and reporting services include measures of both clinical quality and health care cost. Many health care experts and community members help shape our work.
The Measurement and Reporting Committee (MARC) recommends measurement priorities, specifications, guiding principles and policies for public reporting of measurement data.
Current members of the MARC include:
Co-Chair, Sue Knudson, MA, HealthPartners - Health Plan Representative
Co-Chair, Rahshana Price-Isuk, MD, Neighborhood Healthsource - Safety Net Medical Group Representative
Lori Bethke, MD, Entira Family Clinics - Medium Metro Medical Group Representative
Joseph Bianco, MD, Essentia Health - Non-Metro Medical Group Representative
Cara Broich, RN, CPHQ, Medica - Health Plan Representative
Matt Flory, American Cancer Society - Consumer Representative
Sue Gentilli, Allina Clinics - Large Metro Medical Group Representative
Stefan Gildemeister, Minnesota Department of Health - Government Agency Representative
Gregory Hanley, MBA, FACHE, CPHQ, UCare - Health Plan Representative
Craig Helmstetter, PhD, American Public Media – Consumer Representative
Anne Hust, MD, Hennepin Healthcare – Large Metro Medical Group Representative
Steve Inman, MD, Pediatric Services, PA, - Small Metro Medical Group Representative
Craig Johnson, Therapy Partners, Inc. – Specialty Medical Group Representative
Dave Johnson, Hennepin County Public Health - Public Health Representative
Stephanie Krieg, Minnesota Department of Human Services – Government Agency/Purchaser Representative
Jennifer Lamprecht, Quality Strategy Director, Sanford Health - Non-metro Medical Group Representative
Jodi Morris, MBA, Hawkins, Inc. – Employer Representative
Christine Norton, MN Breast Cancer Coalition - Consumer Representative
Angela Olson, Fairview Range Medical Center Hibbing - Non-Metro Medical Group Representative
David Satin, MD, University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Physicians - Large Metro Medical Group Representative
Denise Schneekloth, MN Rural Health Cooperative – Regional Collaborative Representative
Reetu Syal, MD, Premier OBGYN – Specialty Medical Group Representative
Each year, the MNCM Slate of Measures is reviewed by the Measure Review Committee (MRC). The MRC is a sub-committee of the MARC that provides ongoing evaluation of existing measures to ensure continued value to the community. Value criteria indicate a measure must:
- Be consistent with evidence-based standards of care and guidelines
- Address a high-priority aspect of health care (i.e. high disease burden, high resource use, severity of illness)
- Demonstrate a gap in performance
- Meet reliability and validity standards
The feasibility and burden of data collection, current use of the measures in accountability programs and/or quality improvement activities, and harmonization with existing local and national measures and/or programs – are also considered.
Recommendations from MRC inform development of the annual Slate of Measures recommended by the MARC and approved by MNCM Board of Directors each December.
Collaboration & Innovation
MNCM data confirm significant disparities in health care and health outcomes in Minnesota. MNCM formed the Health Equity Advisory Council to provide advice and recommendations on health equity measurement and reporting to guide our work to provide meaningful and actionable data that can help our community rapidly identify and reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes.
The Council provides input into MNCM reports and makes recommendations on opportunities and strategies for using and communicating information gathered by MNCM to providers and communities. HEAC offers a place for MNCM to test new ideas and strategies regarding data collection for variables associated with health equity and disparities.
Recommendations from the HEAC identify opportunities for MNCM to support and accelerate the reduction of disparities, and to align this work with other community-based efforts with shared goals. For updates on the work of the HEAC, please subscribe to the Measurement Minute newsletter. If you would like to get involved, please complete the MNCM engagement form.
As health care payment systems are changing from traditional fee-for-service to value-based payment models, health care providers and payers are becoming more reliant on data than ever. Existing mechanisms for sharing health care data needed to improve cost and quality performance are fragmented and lack alignment. This results in duplication of effort and inefficiencies, and poses a significant challenge for care delivery, population health management, and quality measurement – all factors that are key to success in this new environment.
The MNCM Common Health Information Reporting Partnership (CHIRP) is a collaborative effort to address these challenges. The partnership includes a multi-stakeholder workgroup that provides recommendations to the MNCM Board of Directors on specific ways MNCM can support the community in addressing these challenges. The partnership also includes a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) that was established to develop common standards for uniform content, processes, and flow of claims and clinical data shared between providers and plans. For updates on CHIRP progress, please subscribe to the Measurement Minute newsletter. If you would like to get involved, please complete the MNCM engagement form.
MNCM is on a mission to make quality measurement easier and more useful. We are doing this by reducing the amount of work needed to submit data, and by making it possible for health care providers to get more frequent feedback on performance. In 2019, MNCM launched a new approach to data collection called PIPE (Process Intelligence Performance Engine) to achieve these goals.
PIPE is a new suite of technologies designed to:
- Centralize application of measure specifications to reduce burden and duplication of effort
- Allow more frequent data submission to enable delivery of more timely feedback reports and data
- Improve feedback reporting with an enhanced portal and an option to receive reports through a data feed
MNCM has completed pilot testing and the new system is now available for data submitters. MNCM is offering opportunities for on-boarding throughout the year. Click here for a detailed graphical overview of PIPE and how it works.
For updates on PIPE progress, please subscribe to the Measurement Minute newsletter. If you would like to get involved, please complete the MNCM engagement form.
HealthPartners Institute, in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and MN Community Measurement (MNCM), has been awarded $4 Million from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study the effect of care coordination on patient outcomes. The partners are pleased to introduce the new Minnesota Care Coordination Effectiveness Study (MNCARES).
The purpose of MNCARES is to compare two approaches to care coordination for patients with high health care costs and multiple morbidities. The goal is to learn what approaches to care coordination in primary care settings produce the best care quality, utilization, and patient-centered outcomes. The first model includes care coordination performed by a nurse or other clinical staff. The second model includes a social worker as part of the care team.
Please visit the MNCARES web page hosted by MDH to learn more about the project and the important questions it will help our community answer.
About MNCM's role:
MNCM is a member of the Executive and Steering Committees for the study and plays a leadership role in several workgroups defining the details for data collection. MNCM is responsible for providing input into the study design and operational plan of data flow – and is responsible aggregating data from all sources relevant to the study. It will then produce the final data set for HealthPartners Institute to conduct the analysis.
As the data hub for MNCARES, MNCM will receive patient data from participating clinics, send selective data to and receive data back from payers and the survey center, contribute relevant MNCM data on quality measures for care coordination patients, and send aggregate deidentified data to the study team.
MNCM will leverage its established legal framework and relationships with medical groups and health plans across Minnesota for quality measurement purposes, to secure agreements necessary to integrate data needed for the study.
MN Community Measurement (MNCM) was engaged in December 2018 to design and administer a study focused on measuring the impact of expanding pharmacy enhanced services in Minnesota to improve health care outcomes for patients with diabetes. The study builds on MNCM’s role in the community as a trusted neutral aggregator of data on health care quality and outcomes.
This study is aligned with MNCM’s mission to empower health care decision makers with meaningful data to drive improvement – and complements ongoing efforts to advance diabetes care in Minnesota. Though the community has made significant progress, there continues to be opportunity for improvement.
On December 9, 2020 MNCM released a report that provides a detailed look at the study goals, the study methods – including processes used by network pharmacists in completing the identified interventions and methods for measurement and evaluation – and the results of the analysis.
The study was carried out in collaboration with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Thrifty White Pharmacy, and Pfizer, in addition to the affiliated pharmacies engaged in the network administered by Thrifty White Pharmacy as listed in the appendix to the report.
MN Community Measurement (MNCM) and the Endocrine Society (ES) have entered a collaboration agreement to develop and test measures focused on obesity care. This work is supported by a grant to the Endocrine Society from Novo Nordisk.
The purpose of this project is to build on work completed previously through Obesity Care Model Collaborative (OCMC) sponsored by the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) Foundation to develop excellent outcome measures that will improve the health and well-being of patients with obesity. MNCM and ES will recruit experts to participate in interrelating Specification Engineering Group (SEG) and Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to prepare specifications for pilot testing and use.
This multi-year measure development and testing project aligns with MNCM’s mission to empower health care decision makers with meaningful measures and data to drive improvement for a condition that affects a large percentage of the population and can contribute to early mortality from chronic conditions or increase susceptibility to other diseases[1].
MN Community Measurement’s role:
- Review and evaluate measures developed for OCMC
- Create draft measure specifications
- Work with the Endocrine Society to recruit workgroup members for SEG/TEP
- Facilitate SEG and refine measure specifications; facilitate TEP for feedback
- Finalize detailed measure specifications, algorithms, data dictionary, value sets
- Pilot testing and technical assistance, data collection, analysis, and reporting
Endocrine Society’s role:
- Grant application and administration
- Work with MNCM to recruit workgroup members for SEG/TEP
- Work with MNCM to secure pilot participants for testing measures
- Collaborate with MNCM to determine steps for use in federal programs/ NQF endorsement, use dissemination
[1] https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/obesity/obesity-health-consequences
Contract Services
MNCM offers a variety of contract services to support other organizations, academic institutions, grantors, and researchers in efforts that are aligned with our mission.
MNCM is highly skilled in measure development, evaluation, testing and implementation. Several of our developed de novo measures have achieved National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsement and/or acceptance into federal quality payment programs. MNCM is recognized for its development of patient reported outcome based performance measures in the areas of depression, asthma, orthopedics and COPD.
MNCM measure development, testing and redesign services offer:
- Multi-stakeholder consensus based process for measure development
- Innovative, evidence-based measure creation and refinement
- Detailed, feasible specifications for data collection and implementation
- Robust pilot testing that incorporates appropriate clinical sites
- Expertise working with data from disparate sources
- Diverse data sets to draw from for testing
- Credibility to move your measure through to acceptance
MNCM has spent years fine tuning our process to make it as efficient as possible. Each stage of our standard process has been thoroughly tested and can be customized to meet your needs and goals.
MNCM Process for Measure Development
To inquire about measure development, testing or redesign services, please contact support@mncm.org.
MNCM is a community resource with key assets to support program evaluation and research to advance improvement in health care quality, equity and cost. This includes:
- Rich data on health care quality, equity, and cost,
- Expertise on clinical quality and cost measurement and analysis
- Data infrastructure and experience in supporting aggregation of data from multiple sources
- Existing relationships with medical groups and health plans enable MNCM to be a key partner in rapidly engaging partners for new research or evaluation projects.
Summary of MNCM Data Resources
Example of Model for Research Projects
Example of Model for Evaluation Projects
To inquire about a research or evaluation partnership, please contact support@mncm.org.
Time is priceless to your staff working to improve quality —repetitive, essential, and timely tasks can be automated by a rule-based process through MNCM software called Process Intelligence (PI).
Your employees’ skills and creativity are essential to your success in improving health care quality and affordability. Let MNCM help you to automate tasks, streamline processes and increase employee productivity. MNCM Process Intelligence Softbots work 10-15 times faster than employees, can be executed simultaneously and work 24/7. MNCM PI provides consistency and allows for scalability. Implementing PI enables employees to focus on more valuable and non-repetitive activities, which helps to boost morale, job satisfaction, and productivity.
Contact support@mncm.org for more information!