This Collaborative ended in June 2016.
To see upcoming programs related to this topic, please visit our Education page.
In the US, 5 percent of the patient population generally represents 50 percent of total cost across all payers. This is also true outside of the US — health care organizations throughout the world recognize that a small percentage of the population generates a disproportionately large portion of health care costs.
This segment of the population is complex and dynamic. These individuals may struggle with one or more of the following: chronic physical and mental illness, poverty, and social isolation. They make frequent use of the health care system and often have poor outcomes. Their care can be chaotic, wasteful, and stressful for both patients and health care staff. The standard care system is not working for this segment of the population. The urgency to improve care for these patients is only growing as we strive to improve care continuity, patient centeredness, and reduce overall costs.
To accelerate the improvement of care for complex and high-cost patients, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) invites you to join the Better Health and Lower Costs for Patients with Complex Needs Collaborative (BHLC), beginning July 2015. This initiative will help you plan and implement comprehensive care designs that serve the needs of your most complex, high-risk, and costly patients, resulting in better health outcomes, a better care experience, and lower total cost. Whether your organization has already established a program or is just starting this work, our goal is to help you make a positive and sustainable difference for this population.
