Lakewood Health System Recognized For Improving Care Delivery And Patient Outcomes

Lakewood Health System clinics are among 248 Minnesota and border state clinics that were recently recognized by the Minnesota Health Action Group (The Action Group) for delivering optimal care and achieving optimal care measures, or improving specific patient outcomes as part of the 2017 Minnesota Bridges to Excellence program and the Minnesota Quality Incentive Payment System (MNBTE), a State of Minnesota pay-for-performance program that is administered by The Action Group.

Lakewood’s Browerville and Pillager clinics were recognized for improvement, which means they improved patient outcomes by at least 10 percentage points over the previous year. The two clinics met the improvement goal for diabetes.

“We are honored to be recognized for the great work our staff has done to reach or improve upon our goals,” said Kimberly Bryniarski, Clinic Quality Improvement Manager for Lakewood Health System. “Our patients are our top priority, so we work diligently to ensure they receive they care they need. Being recognized for doing so is secondary only to the improved health of our patients.”

Established by The Action Group in 2006, MNBTE uses publicly reported outcomes data to identify clinics that have an established percentage of patients with diabetes, vascular disease, or depression at optimal levels of care, or who significantly increase that percentage over the previous year.

“The clinics that have earned recognition have done remarkable work to serve their patients, and should serve as an example for other health care providers for both their commitment to innovation on behalf of their patients and their outstanding results,” said Carolyn Pare, president and CEO of The Action Group. “Health care costs continue to increase in Minnesota and across the country, which makes it more important than ever to recognize providers who are delivering high-value health care.”

Performance goals are set each year by The Action Group and the MNBTE Champions of Change, a group of organizations that sponsor the pay-for-performance program and who fund the rewards. This year’s Champions include Best Buy, Southwest/West Central Service Cooperative, the University of Minnesota, and Wells Fargo. In 2017, recognized clinics shared a $163,358 total cash award.