Accountable Care Organization, Healthcare Big Data, Healthcare Portal, and ACO Implementation Resources
FEATURED ARTICLES: ACO
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3 Questions Providers Need To Ask About Patient Portals
Stage 2 Meaningful Use requires providers both have a patient portal and achieve a minimum of 5 percent patient usage. Answering these three questions can help facilities achieve those goals. By Katie Wike, contributing writer
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ACO Cost-Sharing Subsidies Should Alleviate Payment Fears7/21/2014
Cost-sharing subsidies take up slack of payments for many ACO patients. By Christine Kern, contributing writer
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Meeting MU Through Mobile7/23/2013
A recent survey shows one-third of patients are open to mobile access of health records; providers who recognize that can be better positioned to meet Stage 2 MU requirements By Katie Wike, contributing writer
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Top 10 Health IT Trends For 201611/24/2015
For the past five years, EHR/MU was selected as the top health IT initiative for the coming year. This year, there’s a new top initiative, and what it is should come as no surprise.
CASE STUDIES & WHITE PAPERS
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Physicians Expand Practice Through New EMR6/5/2012
This case study outlines how one specialty practice used a new EMR, coupled with mobile access, to expand the practice and also recapture more personal, family time.
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Emerson Hospital Reduces Transcription TAT From Days To Hours, Lowers Costs By 50%4/16/2012
Established in 1911, Emerson Hospital is a fullservice medical center situated in Concord, MA. A 179-bed facility staffed by 300 physicians, Emerson combines a human touch with state-of the- art technology—including top-flight medical transcription.
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The Path to Population Health Management: Creating An IT Foundation For A Successful ACO10/22/2014
Healthcare organizations across the U.S. are investing significant resources in re-architecting their care delivery infrastructures to enable them to adapt successfully to new, value-based Accountable Care Organization (ACO) payment and delivery models. As these entities prepare to go “at risk” and take outcomes-based capitated or bundled payments, they face a broad set of challenges. These challenges range from acquiring or partnering for resources that will enable them to deliver and control the full continuum of care, to understanding their new cost structures and determining if they can survive and thrive financially in an ACO world.
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7 Tips To Getting Paid For Meaningful Use6/5/2012
The clock is ticking down for physician practices looking to receive the full incentive for achieving Stage 1 Meaningful Use, but the tips in this white paper can help you get there before the deadline arrives.
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK
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The Problem With Consumerism In Healthcare
Many industry leaders championed a free market approach to healthcare during the 12th Annual World Health Care Congress last week. Here are a few key reasons why I don’t think this model is “the fix” our industry so desperately needs.
ABOUT ACCOUNTABLE CARE ORGANIZATIONS (ACO)
An Accountable Care Organization (ACO) utilizes a payment and care delivery system that bases payments to providers on quality metrics and seeks to reduce the total cost of care for a certain population of patients. ACOs use a range of payment models and consist of groups of coordinated healthcare providers that provide care to groups of patients. ACOs are accountable to a third-party payer and the group of patients for the appropriateness, quality, and efficiency of the health services they provide.
In 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) set forth initial guidelines for ACOs to be created under the Medicare Shared Savings Program. These guidelines contained all necessary steps required for a physician, health care provider, or hospital to voluntarily participate in ACOs.
The quality measures used to evaluate an ACO's performance as defined by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) fall into five domains. These domains are patient/caregiver experience, care coordination, patient safety, preventative health, and at-risk population/frail elderly health.
The three stakeholders in an ACO are the providers, payers, and patients. Providers are a network of hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare professionals. The primary payer is the federal government, Medicare, but also includes other payers such as private insurances or employee-purchased insurance. The patient population of an ACO will primarily consist of Medicare beneficiaries, but in larger ACOs can also include those who are homeless and uninsured.
FEATURED NEWS
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ACOs Face Interoperability Barriers2/8/2016
According to a new report, a lack of out-of-network interoperability is the biggest obstacle facing ACOs today. By Katie Wike, contributing writer
ACO NEWS ARTICLES
- Upcoming Webinar: Data-Driven Care: The Key To Accountable Care Delivery From A Physician Group Perspective
- WEDI Releases Guide On HIPAA Transactions Requiring ICD-10 Codes
- Automated Quality Reporting Through EHRs Can Result In Significant Efficiencies And Care Improvements
- CMS Releases Updated Data On EHR Adoption
- West Florida ACO Chooses Sandlot Solutions As Partner In Patient Health Information Management