Recent innovations, developments may transform direction of patient care in next decade, researchers say
Imagine if doctors and hospitals got paid for providing better care, not more care, and consumers had better data for making informed health choices.
A new report suggests that's the direction the U.S. health system is headed.
The report, from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics in Parsippany, N.J., identifies 10 "harbingers of change" -- recent events expected to alter the delivery of health care and use of medicines over the next decade.
Phoenix obstetrician Megan Cheney no longer makes hours of telephone calls on Thursday nights to report routine results of laboratory tests to waiting patients. The calls, however, still get made every week.
NYC's Montefiore saves tens of millions, but losses mount for others
The trail blazed by Pioneer accountable care organizations (ACOs) is bumpier for some ACOs than for others, according to financial data released Thursday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Of the 32 original Pioneer ACOs, 18 reported gross savings in the first year. The best-performing ACO that year was Montefiore ACO in the Bronx, New York, which reported savings of $23.3 million, or 7.1 percent, and $14 million in shared savings.
Cigna and Fairfax Family Practice Centers have launched a collaborative accountable care initiative. Based on the same population health goals of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), this initiative is intended to increase access to care, improve coordination, and achieve the ‘triple aim’ of improved health outcomes through quality improvement, lower medical costs, and increased patient satisfaction. This initiative in Northern Virginia will utilize 100 health care providers at 12 practice locations and is expected to reach approximately 9,700 individuals covered by Cigna health plans.
