6 Recent Stories on ACOs and Population Health Management

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The following stories pertain to accountable care organizations, hospital-physician relationships and population health management strategies. All were published within the past month.

1. ACOs now reach more than half of the U.S. population, according to a new analysis by consulting firm Oliver Wyman. Fifty-two percent of patients now live in primary care services areas that are served by ACOs — up from 45 percent in August 2012.

2. The National Committee for Quality Assurance has accredited six ACOs so far, as it began accepting applications for ACO accreditation in March 2012. Accredited organizations include Billings (Mont.) Clinic, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Essentia Health in Duluth, Minn., and three others you can find here.

3. A recent webinar from the American Hospital Association's Physician Leadership Forum discussed a case study of a medical groups' integration with a hospital, which involved not one but four phases of integration.

4. Hospital and health system executives weighed in on ACOs, employee wellness initiatives, new payment models and other topics as part of Chicago-based Huron Consulting's Healthcare CEO Forum. Quotes from several leaders, including Joseph J. Mullany, president of Detroit Medical Center, and Gary S. Kaplan, MD, chairman and CEO of Virginia Mason Health System in Seattle, can be found here

5. Experts from Objective Health identified five key enablers for hospitals and health systems' development of population health strategies. These enablers, including aligned incentives, joint decision-making and patient engagement, act as the foundation for any population health strategy.

6. What are the true factors that determine an organization's ACO-readiness? One is that the system has existing collaborations with other health systems, or is part of a larger corporate entity. Another is that the system has existing risk-based contracts with payors. Find out what the other four determinants are here.

More Articles on ACOs and Population Health Management:

Disease-Specific ACOs Could Provide More Value
Seeking External Validation: Q&A With the Crystal Run Healthcare ACO Team
28 Statistics on Providers and ACO Development


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