Bio: Alexander Pimperl, Dr. phil., is a 2015-16 German Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice. He is currently the head of the Controlling and Health Data Analytics Department at OptiMedis AG. In this role, he has been working on the contractual model for the replication of a German integrated care system, Gesundes Kinzigtal, in three regions. Since he has been at OptiMedis AG, he has built up the Analytics Department from zero to seven full-time employees and established standardized processes and reports for accounting to improve cost transparency and controlling. Pimperl also developed and implemented the scientifically based business intelligence (BI) infrastructure, enabling the linkage, preparation, and enrichment of data from various sources in a data warehouse to support management for Gesundes Kinzigtal. In 2013, this BI solution, developed and implemented by Pimperl and his team, was awarded the "BARC Best Practice Award for BI & Data Management." Pimperl received a doctorate in health care management and health economics at the Institute for Healthcare Management and Health Economics, within the University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology in Austria.
Placement: University of California, Berkeley
Mentors: Stephen Shortell, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., University of California, Berkeley; Julie Schmittdiel, Ph.D., Kaiser Permanente; Hector Rodriguez, Ph.D., M.P.H., University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health
Project: Performance Measurement in Accountable Care Organizations: From External Reporting Requirements to Enabling Internal Performance Management
Description: Currently, only half of accountable care organizations (ACOs) are able to monitor system-wide quality performance metrics and provide internally meaningful and timely feedback to clinicians. This ability is crucial for effectively monitoring and managing population health, patient experience, and cost, as well as enforcing a continuous learning process. The overarching aim of Pimperl's research is to gain in-depth knowledge about effective implementation of performance measurement systems (PMS) within ACOs. For a cross-national evaluation, ACOs in the U.S. will be compared to the Gesundes Kinzigtal, which operates a regional integrated care system in Haslach, Germany and is considered a best practice model. More specifically, Pimperl will study how mature existing PMS are in comparison to common recommendations for integrated care systems, where observable gaps exist, and the key barriers and success factors for implementation. He will also look at the benefits gained by organizations from the PMS implementation and use, and how external performance management policy can be designed to stimulate internal performance management. Because of the primarily explorative, descriptive and explanative nature of the research questions and the complex real-life context within which they will be analyzed, Pimperl will conduct in-depth case studies of selected ACO models. The proposed study is designed to fill the research gap and help health care managers and policy decision makers understand the key issues for the effective initial implementation or further development of their internal PMS, as well as external performance management policies.