Iroquois Healthcare Association and HealthStream Partnership Results in Healthcare Workforce Training for PPSs

Alliance for Better Health Care, LLC and Albany Medical Center Hospital PPS sign agreements to deliver training through HealthStream

CLIFTON PARK, NY (06/01/2016)(readMedia)-- The Iroquois Healthcare Association (IHA), representing 54 hospitals and health systems in 32 counties across Upstate New York, today announced that two Performing Provider Systems (PPSs) have selected IHA's partner, HealthStream, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSTM) for their healthcare workforce training. HealthStream is a leading provider of workforce development and research solutions for the healthcare industry. HealthStream's Learning Centerâ„¢ will be utilized by these PPSs for enterprise-wide training and re-training of the workforce. HealthStream and IHA partnered to help PPSs with their workforce training needs related to the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment program (DSRIP).

The two PPSs, the Alliance for Better Health Care, LLC and Albany Medical Center Hospital, are both based in the greater Capital District. PPSs are regional collaboratives involving hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, FQHCs, behavioral health and community health within a multiple county geography. The Alliance for Better Health Care includes three health systems (Ellis Medicine, St. Peter's Health Partners and St. Mary's Healthcare, Amsterdam); two federally qualified health centers (Hometown Health Centers and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center); and an independent physician group practice (Capital Care Medical Group), and more than 2,000 providers and community-based organizations. The Albany Medical Center Hospital PPS has formed a partnership with over 175 organizations and more than 3,000 providers, including Columbia Memorial Hospital and Saratoga Hospital.

HealthStream's solutions will help the PPSs ensure that the workforce remains highly skilled and competent in the care delivered in the integrated delivery systems being established. The DSRIP program promotes community-level collaborations and focuses on system reform, specifically a goal to achieve a 25 percent reduction in avoidable hospital use over five years. There are seven PPSs within the IHA region and 25 PPSs in New York State. Projects are unique to each PPS but metrics and objectives are similar and everyone is accountable for meeting the State's goals. Success is dependent upon significant reporting on projects. HealthStream's Learning Centerâ„¢ provides training opportunities and tracks participant-level data and outcomes for all training and education, which can be aggregated for each PPS.

"Through our agreement with HealthStream, we are supporting the development of our healthcare workforce to integrate services across the community with a patient-centered focus," said Gary J. Fitzgerald, president and chief executive officer of IHA. "We are thrilled that the Albany Medical Center Hospital PPS and the Alliance for Better Health Care have chosen HealthStream and believe that this will greatly benefit the healthcare workforce and communities across the Capital Region as the delivery system transforms."

By joining the workforce expertise of the association, which includes seven performing provider systems with the largest provider of online learning solutions in healthcare, a unique opportunity was created to innovate and offer the library of content for the PPS workforce that includes hospital, home care, community, behavioral health, and long term care professionals. Courseware bundles from this partnership are offered exclusively through HealthStream to the PPSs.

"Producing a sustainable, long-term transformation of our healthcare delivery system begins with its workforce and, to that end, we are pleased to see that the Albany Medical Center Hospital PPS and the Alliance for Better Health Care have selected HealthStream's solutions for their workforce training," said Robert A. Frist, Jr., chief executive officer, HealthStream. The specific goal of New York's Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment program (DSRIP) to reduce avoidable hospital use by 25 percent in five years is laudable and we are excited to be working in partnership with the Iroquois Healthcare Association to support healthcare providers to collaborate and achieve this worthy goal."

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About Iroquois

The Iroquois Healthcare Association (IHA) represents hospitals and health systems in 32 counties in Upstate New York. The mission of IHA is to serve as a resource and leader to support its members and the communities they serve through advocacy, education, information, cost-saving initiatives, and business solutions. IHA has offices in Clifton Park, NY and East Syracuse, NY. For more information, please visit www.iroquois.org.

About HealthStream

HealthStream (NASDAQ: HSTM) is dedicated to improving patient outcomes through the development of healthcare organizations' greatest asset: their people. Our unified suite of solutions is contracted by, collectively, approximately 4.5 million healthcare employees in the U.S. for workforce development, training & learning management, talent management, credentialing, privileging, provider enrollment, performance assessment, and managing simulation-based education programs. Our research solutions provide valuable insight to healthcare providers to meet HCAHPS requirements, improve the patient experience, engage their workforce, and enhance physician alignment. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, HealthStream has additional offices in Laurel, Maryland; Brentwood, Tennessee; Pensacola, Florida; Jericho, New York; Boulder; Colorado; and San Diego, California. For more information, visit http://www.healthstream.com or call 800-933-9293.