Accountable Care Bulletin | November 10, 2011 | Volume Two Issue Eleven
Complimentary from the publishers of Accountable Care News www.accountablecarenews.com




"The ACO initiative, even after the recent simplification of the final rule, leaves a gaping hole in the way the government plans to address the need to transform healthcare into a collaborative and more efficient system by effectively excluding small practices due to high administrative and clinical thresholds. The newly announced Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) initiative, although currently limited to 5-7 selected localities, offers a seemingly viable option to incentivize coordinated, community-based quality care on a broader basis than Medicare ACOs while lowering the barriers for participation." Gai Elhanan, CMIO, Halfpenny Technologies

Accountable Care Organization Antitrust Guidance: Will Consumers Be Protected?
Health Affairs Blog, November 7, 2011

Sneak Preview: NCQA Accreditation of Accountable Care Organizations (ACO)
Business Wire, November 7, 2011

Providers under pressure to moderate ACO costs of care
Cardiovascular Business, November 3, 2011

Patients pose challenges in provider-payer ACOs
FierceHealthcare, November 2, 2011

The Unbearable Lightness of Being (an Accountable Care Organization)
Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, October 28, 2011

Calif. Blue Shield Gives $20 Million for ACOs
HDM Breaking News, October 17, 2011

In the November issue of Accountable Care News, you'll find:

Operationalizing Accountable Care: People, Processes and Technology for Bridging the Care Gap By Daniel J. Marino, President & CEO, Health Directions

Health Care Innovation Zones: An ACO for AMCs? By Julie Schulz, MD, Consultant, Sg2

Editor's Corner - Mark Werner, Chief Clinical Integration Officer, Fairview Health Services

ACOs: A Call to Arms? by Gary M. Austin

Thought Leader?s Corner "Could the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative be a vehicle for smaller physician groups in particular to enjoy some of the benefits of an ACO model without having to create the infrastructure??

Industry News with briefs regarding Optum, Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, MedeAnalytics Inc, American Medical Group Association, Banner Health, Health Access Solutions, Health Partners, Allina Hospitals and Clinics, Aon Hewitt and AtlantiCare

Catching Up with... John C. Goodman, PhD

Accountable Care News on April 4 released a special complimentary edition containing detailed expert analysis of the proposal CMS rule on ACOs as well as the FTC/DOJ, IRS, and HHS OIG guidance documents. Click here for the document.

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