Increasing Quality of Care, Lowering Health Care Costs for ACOs
Accountable Care Organizations have been developed in an effort to improve the quality of health care while lowering the overall costs. In early 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that more than $380 million have been saved through Medicare ACOs and pioneer ACOs thus far.
While the new model strives to improve patient care while better managing health care spending, some ACOs have been plagued with challenges.
Obstacles many ACOs are challenged with:
- Adjusting to the new evidence-based reimbursement system
- Low staff to patient ratio, leading to exasperating caseloads for physician and nurse practitioner (NP)
- Outdated technology
- Inefficient leadership and/and management
- Insufficient number of qualified physicians
- Communication barriers between physicians and collaborating facilities.
Improving ACOs One Patient at a Time
With more than 30 years in the health care industry, General Medicine, The Post-Hospitalist Company, has developed a specialty that eases many of the challenges ACOs face.
A post-hospitalist program is a recognized, specialized approach to geriatric care in post-acute and long-term settings. Post-hospitalist (also known as SNFist) are physicians and nurse practitioners who collaboratively provide medical services exclusively on-site in nursing homes and other various LTPAC settings.
Post-hospitalists techniques ensure post-hospital environments are able to meet and exceed the performance standards and 33 quality measures CMS has set for ACOs.
Want to know more about how General Medicine can help your ACO and/or health care facility?