Greenfield, Iowa-based Adair County Health System announced plans to join Des Moines, Iowa-based Mercy Accountable Care Organization, effective Jan. 1, 2015.
Mercy ACO has participated in the Medicare Shared Savings Program since 2012. Adair County Health System is nonprofit critical access hospital with family practice clinics, specialty clinics, home care, public health services and ambulance services. By joining the ACO, Adair County Health System will be eligible to share in savings if providers successfully improve the quality of care and lower costs.
Another partnership between Adair and Mercy is already underway. Adair was a designated a participant site for Mercy ACO in November, to help earn the $10.1 million CMS Health Care Innovation Award. The award will help fund the transition to value-based care for Mercy Health Network's critical access hospitals and clinics, according to the report.
With these initiatives, Mercy plans to continue to use its successful health coach program to provide patients with education, prevention strategies and medication adherence encouragement.
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