Accountable Care Organizations Improve Care for Medicare Patients
An Accountable Care Organization (ACO) is a group of healthcare professionals working to provide Medicare patients with a coordinated care solution. Value-Based Care (VBC), used as the model of care within an ACO, is especially relevant when managing chronic illnesses, where proactively monitoring and treating patients generates better outcomes.
An ACO is about the quality of care rather than the quantity of care. An essential element of an ACO is that the incentive is positioned correctly to benefit the patient. In other words, providers who deliver the best preventative care by keeping their patients healthier while reducing hospitalizations are monetarily rewarded for their efforts when they achieve positive, measurable results.
The significant advantage to a patient enrolling in an ACO is that it comprises a team of medical professionals providing personalized patient-centric care. By its very nature, an ACO raises efficiency and consistency within the group, making it a vast improvement over traditional fee-for-service. In a fee-for-service model, a primary care provider acts as a care coordinator and routinely refers patients to disconnected specialists who don't have a stake in the patient's outcome. In addition, the patient is often left to manage their specialist appointments and medical record management.
South Carolina & Georgia House Calls (SC & GA HC) and Main Street Physicians (MSP) consist of doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and over ten in-house specialty services. The group currently serves 9000 patients who are enrolled in an ACO. (SC & GA HC) has found that patients who see their provider relationship as a partnership and actively participate in their care have more trust, are more open to suggestions, and are more receptive to lifestyle changes that help to improve their overall health.
SC House Calls & GA House Calls is a network of over 250 medical professionals providing In-home medical house calls and Telehealth visits to Private Residences, Assisted Living Communities, and Skilled Nursing Facilities. SC House Calls serves all 46 Counties of South Carolina. New patient registration, appointments, and 24-7 access to medical professionals are available through its Center for Telehealth @ 800-491-0909