A/C/O: ‘Another Compromised Organization’ or ‘A Coordinated Orchestra?’

By Gregg A. Masters, MPH Last Friday I moderated the HealthIT social media focused tweetchat tagged ‘#HITsm’, see context piece here, and transcript here. The theme centered on the value or centrality of HealthIT to ACO success. The conversation was lively (for additional context, ACO surprise provides metrics on dispersion and penetration into Medicare and commercial markets), and …

None of the Ransomed Ever Knew How Deep Were the Waters Crossed

By Gregg A. Masters, MPH Ah yes, those ‘white waters’ of health reform or more aptly put ‘transformation’ (you know, the triple aim thingy). As more has been revealed, I offer a quasi ‘mea culpa’ of sorts… Light years ago, or so it seems, as I began at least the blogging portion of my social …

Yes We Can? No, He [POTUS] Didn’t. Not Tonight.

Note: An Opinion Piece By Gregg A. Masters, MPH If you were not dialed into the first presidential debate tonight, you missed a rather tortured, poorly moderated, POTUS failed series of opportunities to credibly discredit his health reform ‘etch-a-sketch’ opponent. In the post debate punditry, and fact checking, this one is likely to ascend to …

William J. DeMarco on Provider Contracting, ACOs, Value Based Purchasing, and Practice Acquisition

By Gregg A. Masters, MPH Courtesy of Clive Riddle and MCOL aka @M_C_O_L, author, consultant and long term managed care industry verteran reflects on the ACO environment, unbundles and expounds on the range of entrants in the ACO space and reports on the status of the playing field as of the May 2012 data point. …

ACOs in the ‘Good Ole US of A’

By Gregg A. Masters, MPH David Blumenthal, M.D., MPP, Former National Coordinator (2009-2011) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and seasoned health policy wonk opines on ACOs. Further details and balance of Dr. Blumenthal’s credentials below: In this video, Dr David Blumenthal, Samuel O. Thier Professor of Medicine and Professor of Health …

Physicians, ACOs and Those ‘Boiler Plate’ Participation Agreements: Buyer Beware!

By Jeffrey L. Cohen, Esq. There continues to be terrific interest in accountable care organizations (ACOs), which are of course a financially risk-based model of providing healthcare to patients who choose to enroll in the Medicare Shared Risk Program. ACO organizations are often led by hospitals and hospital systems, though occasionally by physician organizations. One …

I’m Absolutely Bullish on the Future of Healthcare!

By Gregg A. Masters, MPH In the walk and perhaps some instances trot towards forming and launching an ACO you have prominent voices on both sides of the debate. The bearish camp is perhaps best represented by the likes Jeff Goldsmith in ‘Can Accountable-Care Organizations Improve Health Care While Reducing Costs?’ or Virgina Herzlinger in …

Medicare Shared Savings Program & Advance Payment Model Application Process

By Gregg A. Masters, MPH Per recent CMS Provider Call: From a CMS ‘National Provider Call’ on July 31, 2012, this is a walk through of the Medicare Shared Savings Program and Advance Payment Model Application Process. The review includes both an overview, and update specific to the two distinct programs. A Q&A session follows …

ACO Explosion

By Gregg A. Masters, MPH On ‘This Week in Accountable Care‘, Wednesday, September 5th, 2012 at noon Pacific and 3PM Eastern, my special guest is industry veteran William J. DeMarco, President and CEO of Pendulum Health. Active since the roll-out of the HMO Act, and instrumental in the development of marquee names and properties in the managed …

ACO Roundup | August 29th 2012

By Gregg A. Masters, MPH We’ve been somewhat dormant on ‘This Week in Accountable Care‘ during the summer months, but there has been no shortage of announcements with the CMS series of proscribed deadlines, as well as the purely discretionary dates associated with ACO arrangements negotiated and launched in the private aka ‘commercial’ market. Today we …