Content Analysis of CMS Healthcare Innovation Awards From a Physiatric Perspective

On June 15, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the 107 recipients of the Healthcare Innovation Awards (HCIA). The 107 awardees received a total of $874,074,900 in funding, with a projected 3-year savings of $1,863,119,104. A word frequency calculator was used to perform a content analysis on the document that announced the projects receiving funding in the 2012 HCIA program. Results were tabulated and categorized to look for prevailing themes and trends. The words generated by the word frequency calculator were grouped into common roots and tabulated to better understand how CMS was rewarding value. Some of the most common words were “manage,” “community,” “coordinate,” “team,” “system” and “integrate.” Additionally, the job positions that the projects propose to create were tabulated and grouped into categories. Physicians, including physiatrists, were not often mentioned, whereas nursing and nonclinical positions were frequently listed. This content analysis showed that the concepts emphasized in the HCIA projects parallel fundamental physiatric principles. The findings may help physiatrists understand how reform is unfolding, prepare for the evolving health care landscape, and recognize future opportunities.