Complimentary from the publisher

Complimentary from the publishers of Accountable Care News July, 2014

NCQA: Introduction to ACOs, August 25-26, 2014 - Washington, DC

“One huge challenge for ACOs is fragmentation in the medical neighborhood. Potential partners of an ACO almost certainly will be dealing with a multitude of other clinical providers, and thus there is little standardization of quality measures, clinical workflow, data sharing practices, etc. The good news is that ACO models create strong economic and clinical incentives for collaboration -- something we don't see much of in the fee-for-service world. This occurs at multiple levels -- collaboration among ACOs with partners in the medical neighborhood, and collaboration among ACOs themselves. Consider one shining star example from Massachusetts, an area where multiple ACOs participate in the Pioneer program. Five ACOs in Eastern MA (Atrius, Mount Auburn Cambridge, Steward, Beth Israel Deaconess, and Partners) collaborated to create a common set of quality standards and strategies for patients cared for in SNFs.... In the future, expect to see MANY more examples of collaboration in the medical neighbor-hood!” Vince Kuraitis, JD, MBA, Principal, Better Health Technologies, LLC; Author, e-Care- Management Blog.

Using VNACNH’s telehealth program, Atrius Health reported a 2% to 4% re-hospitalization rate for patients in 2013, compared to the average re-hospitalization rate in Massachusetts of around 16%.

Excerpted from: Accountable Care News, Volume 5 Number 7, July 2014, "Integrating Home Health and Primary Care to Create the Care Model of the Future"

The role of clinical leaders in accountable care organizations
FierceHealthcare, July 10, 2014

70 Accountable Care Agreements Announced So Far This Year
Becker's Hospital Review, July 9, 2014

Accountable care organizations may fuel new litigation theories
Internal Medicine News, July 8, 2014

Accountable Care Workgroup Makes 15 Recommendations
Healthcare Informatics, July 7, 2014

Medicare unveils changes ahead for its ACOs
The Advisory Board Company, July 7, 2014

Aligning Approaches to Accountable Care Across Medicare and Medicaid
The Commonwealth Fund Blog, June 18, 2014

Issue Brief: How to Improve the Medicare Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Program
The Brookings Institute, June 17, 2014

Integrating Home Health and Primary Care to Create the Care Model of the Future by Kathleen Gardner

ACOs and the HR Department by Thomas P. Merrill

Editor’s Corner: Stephen Ubl on New Payment Models

How to Best Manage Post-Acute Care Expenditures: Strategic Networks Can Improve Patient Care and Curb Costs by Michelle Templin

Thought Leader’s Corner: What are the challenges you have experienced or seen in working with the potential partners in the ACO’s “medical neighborhood” -- home health, post-acute, hospice, urgent care, retail pharmacy, etc.

Industry News with briefs regarding CMS; The Commonwealth Fund; Health Affairs; Cigna; Anthem, Sutter, Brown & Toland; National Health Policy Forum; Providence and Swedish; CVS Caremark; Center for Health Care Strategies; Blue Cross Blue Shield Association; MedPAC; National Academy for State Health Policy; Accountable Care Coalition of Greater New York (ACCGNY) and AllazoHealth; and Becker's Hospital Review

Catching up with … Lisa Bielamowicz, MD

There's no cost to participate in the Accountable Care News LinkedIn Group where you can Network, exchange information, and follow current developments with other professionals interested in accountable care organizations. You can sign up now at: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=3066715

Subscribe to the Bulletin | About Accountable Care News | Promotional Opportunities

Accountable Care Bulletin, a publication of Health Policy Publishing LLC
1101 Standiford Avenue, Suite C-3, Modesto, CA 95350
(v) 209.577.4888 | (f) 209.577.3557 | (e) info@accountablecarenews.com
© 2014, Health Policy Publishing LLC