Blog Archives
Medicare Tracks ACOs Quality of Care
ACOs, networks of doctors and hospitals tasked with improving patient care while saving Medicare money, reported mixed rates of success in a February 2014 report that offered the first look at their effectiveness. Voluntary creation of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) is the most prominent way the Affordable Care Act attempts to provide higher-quality care toRead the Rest…
The Importance of Patient-Centered Care for ACOs
It’s been an exciting time to be a healthcare provider around here as Michigan makes a name for itself as a leader in forming high-quality ACOs. In light of this, our team has been focusing on how to best adapt to the changes within the structure of the new ACOs. While both the mainstream pressRead the Rest…
Reports on Inconsistencies in ACO Trials
Since they were established under the Affordable Care Act, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) have been lauded for their more effective patient care practices and greater Medicare cost reductions. However, according to a new set of federal healthcare data, ACOs do not always demonstrate the same degree of success—especially when it comes to managing diabetes andRead the Rest…
ACOs and Medicare: The Basics
Scoot over, HMO, there’s a new acronym in town. Accountable Care Organizations—better known as ACOs—are one of the most talked about initiatives of the Affordable Care Act. But what exactly are they? Following the long-standing tradition of healthcare affairs that leave both patients and providers baffled, the ACO phenomenon has resisted every attempt that hasRead the Rest…
Hospital Readmission Rates Predicted with Automatic Tool
A new development in automated communication technology makes it easier for healthcare professionals to prevent hospital readmissions, and may even help prompt hospitals’ slow transition to ACOs. As of December 2013, University of Pennsylvania Health System successfully incorporated an automated prediction tool that recognizes newly admitted patients who are at risk for being readmitted withinRead the Rest…
Survey Find Hospitals Slow to Form ACOs
In a recent study conducted by Purdue Healthcare Advisors, 95% of hospital executives reported that they have fully embraced the initiative to implement electronic health records, a critical component of President Barak Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. An equally important tenant of the new law is not being adapted by the medical industryRead the Rest…