The centrality of health IT to ACO success

Achieving the goals of accountable care—better coordination, improved outcomes, lower costs—requires a robust health information technology infrastructure and the ability to analyze large volumes of patient data. 

Modern Healthcare recently hosted a webinar that featured a leadership panel willing to share their views on the importance of health IT systems, the challenges associated with implementation and their advice for other accountable care organizations. 

Modern Healthcare New York Bureau Chief Melanie Evans moderated a discussion with Jason Dinger, CEO of MissionPoint Health Partners, a Nashville-based subsidiary of Ascension that focuses on accountable care; Kim Kauffman, vice president of value-based care at Summit Medical Group, a 220-physician group based in Knoxville, Tenn.; and Katie White, assistant professor of health policy and management at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. This is an edited transcript of that discussion.