ENROLLED
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 186
BY REPRESENTATIVE SIMON
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the Department of Health and Hospitals to study and evaluate the
current level of health and well-being of the residents of Louisiana, as well as
available and potential models of healthcare delivery to create a Louisiana Health
and Wellness Innovation Plan that helps this state to achieve the goal of having the
healthiest people in the nation with access to the highest quality, most efficiently
delivered health care.
WHEREAS, efficient delivery of health care is necessary for the health, safety, and
welfare of all residents of the state of Louisiana, yet many Louisiana residents have limited
access to needed health care or have limited healthcare choices; and
WHEREAS, many Louisiana residents experience high out-of-pocket costs for health
care, and the state as a whole experiences high aggregate healthcare costs; and
WHEREAS, the provision of high quality healthcare services, regardless of the
setting, is of paramount importance; and
WHEREAS, new and innovative solutions must be identified to correct the problem
of inefficient healthcare delivery; however, currently, there is insufficient data and
information on the efficacy of alternative models of healthcare delivery; and
WHEREAS, the legislature has received conflicting information concerning whether
overall access to healthcare in this state is expanding or diminishing, and whether the level
of care now available to Louisiana residents is adequate or insufficient, resulting from the
transformation of the state's healthcare system; and
WHEREAS, as evidenced by the passage of Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 111
of the 2012 Regular Session calling for annual reporting on measures which could improve
Louisiana's low standing in the annual "America's Health Rankings" report, and by
numerous other legislative instruments calling for studies and reports on disease prevention
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and treatment and other means of improving health outcomes, the legislature has an ongoing
and deep concern for the health status and well-being of the people of this state; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana needs a healthcare system rooted in primary care and
prevention, integrated with community resources, and truly accessible to its residents; and
WHEREAS, to improve healthcare quality, improve community health, and reduce
the rate of growth in healthcare spending, Louisiana must foster a shared vision among a
broad range of stakeholders to establish primary care as the foundation of healthcare delivery
that is consumer and family-centered, team-based, evidence-driven, and coordinated, and
in which value is rewarded over volume; and
WHEREAS, many individuals and groups are striving to improve the health of
Louisiana residents and the healthcare system of Louisiana and there is utility in combining
our disparate efforts in support of the public good; and
WHEREAS, nothing limits Louisiana from setting a goal to have the healthiest
people in the nation with access to the highest quality, most affordable health care which will
be attained when, compared to the other forty-nine states, Louisiana residents have the
highest life expectancy, the highest percentage population with access to primary care, and
the lowest per capita healthcare spending level; and
WHEREAS, the best strategy for attaining the state's goals of improved access,
affordable costs, high quality care, and increased prevention is to strengthen the consumer's
role in health and health care through innovations in patient-centered care and through
support for healthy lifestyles; and
WHEREAS, this strategy must rest on the foundation of a sound healthcare system
which requires a sustainable workforce, a strong health information infrastructure, and
statewide leadership.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Department of Health and Hospitals to study and evaluate Louisiana's
current statewide system of healthcare delivery, the current level of health and well-being
of the residents of Louisiana, and the available and emerging models of healthcare delivery
to develop a Louisiana Health and Wellness Innovation Plan to recommend positive reforms
to move the state's healthcare system in the right direction to meet the state's goal of having
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the healthiest people in the nation with access to the highest quality, most affordable health
care.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Health and Wellness Innovation
Plan shall focus on guiding principles which include, without limitation, the following:
(1) Whole-person-centered care is more than the integration of medical, oral, and
behavioral health. It is also the consideration of social, cultural, emotional, and economic
contexts for well-being. It is team-based, coordinated care for individuals with complex
needs, provided in the right setting at the right time.
(2) Healthy families are the backbone of a strong community. Family health
improvement requires attention to a community's particular healthcare needs and social
determinants of health, requires the collaboration of a wide range of community partners,
and the expansion of a diverse and well-trained workforce that includes non-traditional
providers such as community health workers.
(3) Health information technology powers primary care transformation, enabling
point of care information and communications, continuous learning, and performance
improvement. The use of technology for data collection and analytics provides for
evidence-based approaches to care delivery, population health management, consumer
access to cost and quality information, and tools to measure achievement of access, quality,
equity, and cost goals.
(4) Quality primary care is the bedrock of an effective healthcare delivery system.
Access to primary care that is whole-person-centered, safe, effective, equitable, and based
on the strongest clinical evidence is both fundamental and essential for improving health and
healthcare outcomes.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in developing the plan, the department shall
engage, collaborate with, and obtain information and perspective from stakeholder groups
with appropriate expertise, including but not limited to the following organizations:
(1) The Pelican Institute for Public Policy.
(2) The Louisiana Center for Health Equity.
(3) The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the secretary of the Department of Health and
Hospitals shall lead a comprehensive review of the duties required of the department by state
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and federal law, and based upon this review, shall prepare a departmental plan to improve
the effectiveness with which the various offices of the department interact internally and
with the residents of this state for the purpose of achieving the highest standard of excellence
in supporting and promoting the health and well-being of all Louisianians.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the departmental plan requested herein shall
include but not be limited to a better alignment of the functions of the office of public health
with the Medicaid program.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department shall provide the Louisiana
Health and Wellness Innovation Plan and the departmental plan requested by this Resolution
to the House Committee on Health and Welfare and the Senate Committee on Health and
Welfare on or before February 1, 2016.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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