A group of small business owners and human resource officers in Guilford County met last week at the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce to discuss what is next for the state in healthcare reform.

One of the main topics discussed during the conversation on healthcare reform is the emphasis of providing more preventive care. Robert Luisiana is a local healthcare broker who spoke at the event in Greensboro. He says the creation of healthcare exchanges is also a concern.

“Right now, NC is behind the curve because the state has not established a state based exchange, which means that the federal government will install a federal exchange which I don't think will be as good as establishing one that meets NC’s needs. We are hoping that the legislature will move on that when they have their next session but part of it is that many politicians are waiting to see what happens in the upcoming election,” says Luisiana

Of particular interest is the pilot programs aimed at Medicare. Last year, several Triad physicians partnered with Cone Health System to create the Triad Healthcare Network.  Program officials are pulling data out of patients’ electronic health records to create a new metrics system.

Steve Neorr, executive director of the pilot program says it will help physicians better manage their patient’s care.

“One of the purposes of our IT resources is to help physicians to start getting a better understanding of how they perform to establish quality metrics. For example, if a primary care physician wants to know how they are managing their diabetic population, we can start to give them report cards if you will about the percentage of patients that are meeting the standards to help keep those people healthy,” says Neorr.