Meritage ACO And CareInSync Improve Care Coordination For Northern Californians

North Bay ACO's mobile care navigation network expansion attracts participants Novato Healthcare Center, San Rafael Healthcare & Wellness Center, and Hospice by the Bay

On the heels of its most successful year ever,CareInSync recently announced a fast start to 2014 with Meritage Accountable Care Organization's (ACO) selection of CareInSync's Carebook evidence-based mobile care coordination platform and their plans to expand the Mobile Care Navigation Network (MCNN) throughout Marin and Sonoma counties. With this expansion, Meritage ACO will promote the use of the Carebook care transitions platform across hospitals, SNFs (skilled nursing facilities) and other provider organizations in these counties to deliver improved patient outcomes at the lowest possible cost, while optimizing shared savings.

The Meritage ACO's Marin-Sonoma MCNN is the nation's first comprehensive care transitions improvement connectivity model of its kind, launched in 2013.  An early participant in the network, the Meritage ACO care managers applied the Coleman Care Transitions Program® designed to coach patients transitioning out of acute care hospitals in taking a more active role in their care. The Coleman program applies a coaching intervention for high-risk patients who can benefit from extended engagement post discharge.

"Through our early participation in the Carebook network, we observed firsthand the enormous difference that sharing real-time patient data across disciplines and care settings can make in keeping their patients healthy and out of the hospital," said Andrea Kmetz, director of care management, Meritage ACO. "Our decision to partner with CareInSync stems from the great outcomes demonstrated in the COAST@Marin program, a partnership between CareInSync and Marin General Hospital, led by Dr. Susan Cumming. "

Continuing, Kmetz said, "The COAST@Marin program was able to reduce avoidable hospital readmissions while improving care transitions, quality of care and the overall patient experience. Partnering with providers on the Carebook network enables us to deliver superb service by efficiently directing resources that net the largest impact benefitting our 16,000-plus Medicare beneficiaries."

"Part of earning the designation of an ACO from the CMS is demonstrating a commitment and an ability to deliver the right care at the right time to Medicare patients while avoiding duplication of services," said Joseph Habis, M.D., medical director at Meritage ACO. 

Kmetz added, "Our goal is to expand this network to a significantly greater extent by having all of our care managers formally adopt Carebook via tablets, with Meritage ACO serving as the hub. We are actively engaged with area providers and payers to show them how we can use Carebook to create innovative care transition models, and they are all excited by the potential benefits in transforming care for at-risk patients."

Already the expansion of the Marin MCNN to Sonoma and Napa counties is attracting strong participants. Novato Healthcare Center, the North Bay area's largest SNF, San Rafael Healthcare & Wellness Center, and Hospice by the Bay, the state's first hospice, have joined the network and adopted Carebook as their platform to coordinate care with other providers and Meritage ACO's care managers. 

Headquartered in Novato, Calif., Meritage ACO, owned by Meritage Medical Network, was designated a Shared Saving Accountable Care Organization by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in January 2013. The first organization in the North Bay to receive this designation, its mission is to deliver quality, coordinated care to its roughly 16,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties.  

Carebook gives providers the ability to create a virtual care team around each patient. It empowers these care teams to communicate securely in real time using ConText messaging. The solution allows care team members to collaboratively risk-stratify patients, apply patient-specific evidenced-based interventions and monitor patients post-discharge. 

"Meritage ACO has proven itself to be a forward-thinking leader conceiving the type of quality, coordinated care envisioned when the health reform laws were first enacted.  We're excited that they recognize the value Carebook brings to this effort," said Steve Curd, president and CEO of CareInSync. "ACOs, bundled payment initiatives and other risk-sharing programs are strong market catalysts, incenting providers to collaborate. Joining a Carebook-powered MCNN is a way for regional providers  to rapidly adopt and scale proven interventions accelerating their path to better care at lower cost."

"Since launching CareInSync our vision has remained constant in establishing interconnected mobile care navigation networks that make it easy for regional providers to coordinate care around a patient.  The rapid expansion of the Marin-Sonoma MCNN is a strong testament to the power of Carebook and the zero-integration scaling capability of our mobile network," said Siva Subramanian, Ph.D., COO and founder of CareInSync. "We're proud to partner with Meritage to help them achieve their patient care and shared-savings goals."

About CareInSync Corporation
CareInSync offers software solutions that improve communication between disparate healthcare providers via a real-time, mobile, collaboration platform.  As the first and only deployed healthcare mobile solution of its kind, Carebook is a secure, HIPAA-compliant, evidence-based, care coordination platform connecting physicians, case managers, nurses and other aftercare professionals in real-time.  CareInSync is helping healthcare organizations across the country decrease readmissions, improve operational efficiencies, reduce costs and manage safe and timely patient care transitions.  Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, CareInSync's existing investors include Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, HealthTech Capital, California Health Care Foundation, and Hearst Business Media. For more information, visit http://careinsync.com.