Today, CMHI (the Center for Medical Home Improvement), a center of excellence of the Crotched Mountain Foundation, announced that Jeanne McAllister, BSN, MS, MHA, has been selected for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) Innovation Advisors Program.

The program, launched by the CMS Innovation Center in October 2011, will help health professionals deepen skills that will drive improvements to patient care and reduce costs. McAllister is one of 73 individuals from 27 states and the District of Columbia participating in the Innovation Advisors Program. Funding for this initiative was made possible by the Affordable Care Act.

McAllister is director of Concord, N.H.-based CMHI, which works to promote health policy changes supporting improved primary care. "I'm deeply honored to participate in this important initiative," she said. "I see this as an opportunity to share nationally what we have learned at CMHI about implementing community-based medical homes. As an Innovation Advisor I will focus particularly on the health care transition needs of all youth, including those with special health care needs; this includes their preparation within a pediatric model of care and their transition as emerging adults towards an adult model of care. In turn I will bring new ideas back to our organization and share with our local and national network of care providers."

After an initial orientation phase, Innovation Advisors will work with the CMS Innovation Center to test new models of care delivery in their own organizations and communities. They will also create partnerships to find new ideas that work and share them regionally and across the United States.

"There has been an incredible groundswell of interest in becoming an Innovation Advisor. It's clear that doctors, hospitals and health care providers are enthusiastic about implementing the Affordable Care Act and strengthening our health care system," said CMS Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner.

The 73 individuals were selected from 920 applications through a competitive process, and include clinicians, allied health professionals, health administrators and others. By attending in-person meetings as well as remote sessions to expand their skills and apply what they learn, the Advisors will be able to deepen their knowledge in health care economics and finance, population health, systems analysis, and operations research.

"We're looking to these Innovation Advisors to be our partners—we want them to discover and generate new ideas that will work and help us bring them to every corner of the United States," said CMS Innovation Center Director Rick Gilfillan, M.D.

Among other duties, the advisors will be expected to support the Innovation Center in testing new models of care delivery, to form partnerships with local organizations to drive delivery system reform, and to improve their own health systems so their communities will have better health and better care at a lower cost.

CMHI will receive a stipend of up to $20,000. The stipend will be used to support McAllister's activities while serving as an Innovation Advisor.

"We are extremely proud of Jeanne," said Don Shumway, president & CEO of Crotched Mountain Foundation. "Her selection reflects highly not only on her professional reputation, but also on the respect that CMHI and Crotched Mountain Foundation have earned in national health care circles."

More information about the Innovation Advisors Program, including a fact sheet and a list of participants and their affiliated organizations, can be found at: http://innovations.cms.gov/initiatives/innovation-advisors/index.html.

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About CHMI
A medical home is a community-based primary care practice that coordinates high quality, family-centered health, acute illness care andchronic condition management. Coordinating health care pays enormous dividends. The mission of CMHI (the Center for Medical Home Improvement), a project of the Crotched Mountain Foundation, is to advance the medical home model and secure health policy changes crucial to the future of primary care.

CMHI currently works in partnership with the Special Medical Services division of NHDHHS, the NH Citizen's Health Initiative, Dartmouth Medical School, the Institute on Disability at UNH, and consults nationally on various medical home-related initiatives. For more information: www.medicalhomeimprovement.org.

About Crotched Mountain Foundation
Crotched Mountain is a charitable organization whose mission is to serve individuals with disabilities and their families, embracing personal choice and development, and building communities of mutual support. Crotched Mountain provides specialized education, rehabilitation, community, and residential support services for more than 3,000 individuals living in New England and New York. For more information about the Crotched Mountain Foundation, please visit www.crotchedmountain.org.

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