Cook County Health and Hospitals System Board Meeting, August 23, 2013

A budget hearing preceded the board meeting.  Budget info: no service reductions or layoffs, a goal to improve infrastructure and clinic care, information systems, electronic medical records (EMRs).  Projected revenue increase of $238.6m to a total of $950.7m, Medicare revenue increase of $10m.  48% of new revenue to come from CountyCare. 93,000 new County Care applications (though State of IL has a 24,000 processing backlog), 100% reimbursement beginning in 2014; 6,745 full time employees.  Presenters spoke of need for more staff at ACHN, better equipment, nurse shortage in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Chairman Carvalho called the regular board meeting to order at 9 a.m.  Resolutions honoring Ruth Rothstein and Dr. Quentin Young were unanimously approved.  The proposed CCHHS FY2014 Preliminary Budget was discussed; Lewis Collens requested a capital budget containing capital needs before the final vote.  Hill Hammock requested metrics to show the increase in patient use.  Carvalho said that information should be part of the financial committee report, tracking progress on a dashboard.  Butler stressed need to get budget to full county board ASAP.  Collens complained about a recent Chicago Tribune editorial; Ramirez and Munoz commended Dr. Raju on transparency of the budget.   County board may send budget back for more work.  The preliminary budget was unanimously approved.

CCHHS will apply for status as Managed Care Community Network (MCCN), to replace CountyCare, similar to an HMO but specifically set up to serve a county, to begin January 1, 2014, serving the same network, to cover Medicaid patients.  Through a contract with Healthcare and Family Services there will be a specific rate for contracted services, with rates for risk-based capitated services.  MCCN will provide each patient with a "medical home."  The program may still be called CountyCare, FQHCs will be part of the network.

Carvalho announced new and continuing committee chairs: Munoz to chair audit, Butler continuing as finance chair; Wiese as Human Resources chair; Collens as chair of Quality and Patient Safety.  Carvalho announced 2 new work groups: Academic Affiliations, chaired by Hill Hammock, and Strategic Planning, chaired by Wayne Lerner.

Dr. Raju emphasized the need for investment to transform the system, to get more people in the system and keep them happy.

Meeting adjourned to closed session at 10:45.

--submitted by Linda Christianson