About CIVHC

CIVHC’s mission is to coordinate and support the adoption and spread of statewide strategic initiatives that will improve the health of Coloradans, contain costs and ensure better value for health care received.

CIVHC was created in 2008 by Executive Order of the Governor in recognition of the need to have a systemic, statewide approach to enhance consumer health care experiences, contain health care costs and improve the health of the people of Colorado.  

• Create delivery systems that are consumer-centered and provide Coloradans with the tools needed to live healthy lives
• Improve the health of Coloradans and the quality of health care received
• Sustainably contain rising health care costs and lower premiums
• Enhance transparency in the health care market

• Working with consumers to create meaningful information, tools and support so that they can become active participants in their health care, make informed decisions and utilize the health care system wisely.
• Providing transparent and comparative data on the cost and quality of health care services to consumers, providers, health plans, employers and policy makers.
• Changing the incentives of the current fee-for-service payment system in order to achieve high quality, consumer-centered and cost-effective care.
• Improving the way health care is delivered through increased access to appropriate levels of care and increased communication and coordination among providers.
• Partnering with businesses to leverage their influence to change Colorado’s health care system, while providing them with tools to support their employees in proactively engaging in their own health care and well-being. 

CIVHC was originally a public-private partnership operating as part of the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF).   It transitioned to a Colorado non-profit corporation in May, 2011 and operates as a separate 501(c)(3) organization with an independent board.

From its inception, CIVHC’s focus has been on bringing positive changes to all five million Coloradans, not only Medicaid and safety net patients.  While originally part of HCPF, CIVHC’s broader purpose is one of the reasons for transitioning into a separate nonprofit organization.  However, given the importance of public programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and CHP+, CIVHC will always work closely with state government and maintain representation of the state executives on its board.

CIVHC is the only organization in the state that brings together diverse constituencies of consumers, providers, payers, businesses, policy makers and government agencies to work together to improve value across the entire health care system.  This gives CIVHC the unique ability to create solutions specifically tailored to Colorado’s health care challenges. 

CIVHC is uniquely positioned to leverage commitment from health care leaders and integrate the work of other public and private health care entities and stakeholders throughout Colorado to improve health care quality while containing costs.  

With a 28-member board of directors and a broad base of support from more than 60 organizations statewide, CIVHC convenes highly influential decision makers representing health care consumers and advocates, providers, health plans, businesses and government leaders.

CIVHC is an independent non-profit organization with voting directors elected according to its bylaws.  In addition to the elected voting directors, there are several state and federal officials who serve as ex-officio, non-voting members of  CIVHC's board.  CIVHC's board is comprised of a broad array of stakeholders from across Colorado.

CIVHC holds quarterly CIVHC Connect meetings that are open to the public. Additionally, all board meetings and other gatherings are open to the public and we are frequently filling positions on our Advisory Groups and Task Forces. View our Calendar of Events for a schedule of all events. Sign up to be added to the general CIVHC mailing list here.

CIVHC receives a majority of its funding from the generous support of some of Colorado’s leading health foundations including the Caring for Colorado Foundation, Rose Community Foundation, The Colorado Health Foundation and The Colorado Trust.

Collaboration with multiple stakeholders and organizations is a vital key to improving quality and lowering costs across the whole system in Colorado. One important role that CIVHC plays is to serve as a convener of key stakeholders from across the state. CIVHC strives to identify and support organizations that are taking on work that aligns with its mission and integrate their work into larger initiatives that will potentially impact all Coloradans.  Organizations from across the state are represented on the board, advisory groups, task forces and the community group. CIVHC does not want to be the only organization working on these important reform initiatives, but rather be a central organization working to align major initiatives and ensure maximum efficiency of our current resources.

Much of CIVHC’s work has been accomplished through the time and energy of dedicated volunteers that sit on the board, advisory groups and task forces. Over the past few years CIVHC has been able to hire additional staff to work on our lofty agenda in conjunction with our volunteers and partners.

The problems that have led to our dysfunctional health care system and mediocre health status is complex and long standing.  It will not be fixed without a comprehensive and systematic push to change the fundamentals on how health care is paid for and delivered.  Through the leadership of the last two governors and recognition of many key stakeholders there is a recognition that an organization like CIVHC needs to be in place to help coordinate and integrate the many efforts required to transform our health care system. In order to create a system with improved quality and lower costs, collaboration between consumers, businesses, providers, insurers and policy makers is necessary.  CIVHC creates the environment necessary to have the hard conversations between these stakeholders.

CIVHC has a large and diverse board made up of influential consumers, business leaders, providers and insurers from around the state of Colorado.  All recognize that our current health care system is not sustainable and that only by joining together will we transform it.  By creating a forum where key thought leaders and stakeholders can sort out this transformation provides tremendous leverage to achieve change.  There is recognition that as Coloradans we are in the best position to fix the problems that face us and thus create the kind of state that is healthy and productive.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) has elements that deal with nearly all of the key problems that drive the access, cost and quality issues of health care. Its most specific initial initiatives focus on increasing access to health insurance, including public plans, for all Americans. While it supports demonstration projects and other innovations, PPACA is less prescriptive in terms of improving quality and reducing costs. The expectation is that much of the innovation for making those improvements will happen within the states. That is where CIVHC fits in. CIVHC serves as the forum for supporting the innovations that will help improve the quality of Colorado’s health care system and reduce costs for consumers and businesses.

Despite this contrast in focus, PPACA will impact many areas of CIVHC’s work and allow us to advance several initiatives, particularly those relating to payment reform. CIVHC plans to participate in demonstration grants and pilot programs such as developing bundled payment systems and tax credits for small businesses.

Here in Colorado, CIVHC works closely with the Director of Health Reform Implementation in the governor's office, the Colorado Department Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), and the chair of the Health Reform Implementation Board. CIVHC also has a representative sitting on HCPF’s internal reform steering committee.

To subscribe to our general mailing list to receive regular updates including our monthly Voices on Value e-NEWS, click here. If you are interested in learning more about a particular initiative, please email info@civhc.org.