Advocate employs approximately 1,000 physicians, with another 3,000 to 4,000 affiliated but independent. Mr. Skogsbergh has led the system since 2001. He said Advocate has not only become a larger system since then, but a tighter one.
Mr. Skogsbergh pointed to Advocate’s clinical integration model as a chief factor in the systems’ success. “We try to incent things that we should be incenting,” he said. “A focus on fewer falls, for example, or ways to improve access. Having providers spend a few more minutes talking about smoking cessation, diabetes.”
The CEO also shared a story highlighting Advocate’s commitment to physician satisfaction. “One key moment was when we were thinking about an offer by [a major insurer]. It was a good opportunity for us — and then we discovered what was put in front of our physicians, which would have put them in a tough spot,” Mr. Skogsbergh said. “After some thought, we decided: This dog doesn’t hunt. And we said no to the lucrative contract, said yes to our physicians. They remembered that.”
Advocate launched its commercial accountable care organization with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, one of the largest commercial ACOs in the country, in 2010. Mr. Skogsbergh said “so far, it’s been a good relationship — it hasn’t been perfect, but it’s been successful.” The ACO shared some of its results last summer, showing a 26 percent decrease in readmission rates for patients with chronic disease.
More Articles on Advocate Health Care:
Advocate Health Care Sells 7 Medical Office Buildings to Lillibridge
Advocate Health Care Saves $3.4M, Improves Safety via Blood Management
Advocate Health Care Burglary Compromises Data of 4M Patients
