Meetings Feature “Real-World” Examples on How to Develop and Maintain Accountable Care Organizations
Newswise — The American Medical Group Association announced that the most recent in a series of regional meetings focused on accountable care organizations (ACOs), hosted by Kelsey-Seybold Clinic in Houston, Texas, continued to build on the success of previous meetings in the series. The meetings are drawing healthcare leaders together to network in an intimate setting and to learn from leading medical groups and organized systems of care that are exemplars of the ACO model. AMGA and its members developed the ACO model based on the experiences of its members in the CMS Physician Group Practice Demonstration and the practice patterns of high-performing healthcare organizations.
“We’re pleased that these meetings continue to strike a chord with healthcare leaders who see the patient care benefits of the ACO model,” said Donald Fisher, Ph.D., CAE, President and CEO. “Our members are and will continue to be the unquestioned leaders in the ACO movement. AMGA is uniquely positioned to provide a framework for this necessary evolution in delivery system change. AMGA members are the foremost high-performing, healthcare delivery systems in the nation and their experiences will inform and enlighten other organizations as they embark on their own journey.”
“Medical providers are challenged to find smart approaches that deliver high-quality health care more efficiently. Accountable Care, which is a proven solution for the future of health care, delivers high-quality, coordinated care at a lower total cost,” said Spencer R. Berthelsen, M.D., FACP, Board Chairman and Managing Director at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic. “Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is proud to support the work of the AMGA, as we both are mutually committed to furthering the adoption and implementation of the Accountable Care Organization.”
For many years, AMGA has pushed for reform efforts that foster the creation of community-based entities accountable for comprehensive healthcare services―referred to as ACOs in the newly passed healthcare legislation―that promote accountability and build on the practice patterns of high-performing organizations. It provided guidance to congressional leaders on the appropriate language regarding ACOs and lobbied aggressively for its inclusion. As part of its continuing efforts, the association is hosting a series of meetings in 2010 that bring together the leaders of healthcare delivery systems to educate medical group leaders on how to develop, operate, and maintain high-performing ACOs. The meetings focus on physician-led, patient-centered ACOs and go beyond the theoretical by bringing together actual case studies presented by the medical group leaders with firsthand experience in providing accountable care to their patients. They will culminate in the fall at AMGA’s Institute for Quality Leadership, subtitled the “AMGA National Summit on ACOs.”
The previous meetings in the series took place in California and North Carolina on April 22-23 and in Ohio on May 6-7. The most recent meeting, hosted by the Kelsey-Seybold Clinic in Houston, Texas, took place May 13-14 and featured presentations by Austin Regional Clinic, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Marshfield Clinic, and NEA Baptist Clinic. Groups in attendance included Austin Diagnostic Clinic, Cancer Care Associates, Christus Health, Gonzaba Medical Group, Intercede Health, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Medical Clinic of North Texas, North Texas Specialty Physicians, Northwest Diagnostic Clinic, Physician Associates, Physicians at Sugar Creek, Quincy Medical Group, Scott & White Healthcare, Singing River Hospital System, Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation, Texas Children’s Pediatric Associates, Texas Health Care, PLLC, Texas Health Physicians Group, Trinity Mother Frances Health System, and WellMed Medical Group. In addition, representatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Harris County Medical Society, Texas Medical Association, UPMC Health Plan, and U.S. Family Health Plan attended. The meeting was supported by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals and CodeRyte.
Future meetings in the series are listed below. For more information, visit www.amga.org. Please note that, due to space limitations, participation is limited to provider organizations (i.e., medical groups, integrated delivery systems, PHOs, hospitals, etc.) and the industry partner organization(s) sponsoring that particular meeting.
• Northwest Region: WashingtonJune 4, 2010Hosted by Group Health Permanente, Seattle, WA • Rocky Mountain Region: UtahJune 17-18, 2010Hosted by Intermountain Healthcare, Salt Lake City, UT • Northeast Region: New JerseyJune 24-25, 2010Hosted by Summit Medical Group, Berkeley Heights, NJ • Institute for Quality Leadership 2010: AMGA National Summit on ACOsSeptember 28-October 1, 2010Westin Diplomat, Hollywood, FL
In addition to the regional meetings and the national summit, AMGA is convening two collaboratives focused on ACO development: a Development Collaborative and an Implementation Collaborative. The collaboratives will offer access to content experts and provide a forum in which peer organizations can learn from one another as they begin to build and refine business and care processes to develop high-quality, efficient, and sustainable systems of care that provide high-value care to their patients and communities. AMGA is kicking off the collaboratives in May with informational webinars on May 20 and 27, 1:00 p.m. EDT. For more information and to register, visit www.amga.org.
The American Medical Group Association represents medical groups, including some of the nation’s largest, most prestigious medical practices, independent practice associations, and integrated healthcare delivery systems. AMGA’s mission is to improve health care for patients by supporting multispecialty medical groups and other organized systems of care. The members of AMGA deliver health care to approximately 105 million patients in 49 states, nearly 1 in 3 Americans. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, AMGA is the strategic partner for medical groups, providing a comprehensive package of benefits, including political advocacy, educational and networking programs and publications, benchmarking data services, and financial and operations assistance. www.amga.org
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