The ACO Show

Sean Cavanaugh (@dc_cavanaugh), former Director of the Center for Medicare at CMS, joins Josh (@DrJIsrael) to provide an ACO policy update. He discusses an important new CMS rule that requires hospitals to notify physicians when their patients have been hospitalized and he explains why ACOs can still succeed financially and continue to provide necessary primary care services during the COVID-19 outbreak.

On this special episode of The ACO Show, Farzad Mostashari (@Farzad_MD), CEO of Aledade, joins Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) and Josh (@DrJIsrael) to talk about the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Mostashari brings his experience in epidemic surveillance to talk about what we can all do to slow the spread of coronavirus and what Aledade is doing to help primary care practices on the front lines care for their patients during this crisis.

Emily Brower is the Senior Vice President of Clinical Integration and Physician Services at Trinity Health in Michigan, a health system that includes both accountable care organizations and hospitals. In this week’s episode of the ACO Show, she spoke with Joe and Josh about how clinically integrated networks can enter into ACO contracts and engage in preventive health initiatives, and how a hospital-based system balances its commitment to reducing health care costs and maintaining a sustainable business model.

Dr. Alan Story is a family physician practicing in Newton, North Carolina. In this week’s episode, he describes how his clinic, Newton Family Physicians has evolved over time to embrace a data-driven, population health approach to primary care. He also explains how Aledade helps independent providers like himself succeed under the ACO model by investing in their patients’ health, harnessing the power of collaboration, and making technology work for them.

Josh (@DrJIsrael) and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) speak to Connie Altman, an implementation and training expert at Aledade. Drawing upon her background in practice management, billing and coding, she shares great advice on how primary care practices can provide the best patient experience and how team care can be the best care.

Chris Haeni discusses how he protects data as the Chief Information Security Officer at Aledade. Join us to hear how to avoid the biggest health data security threats, from phishing to spoofing to hacking, and the risks of carelessness and improper data sharing within an organization.

Josh (@DrJIsrael) and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) speak to Dr. Danny Butler (@DannyB1984), a primary care physician from Paducah, Kentucky in the Aledade Kentucky ACO. Combining data and his dedication to his patients, Dr. Butler shares his experience of how an Accountable Care Organization has been good for the health of his patients and the success of his practice. He discusses why he joined an ACO and the important role that his staff has played in helping his practice excel at population health.

Edo Banach (@EdoBanach) is the President and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. On this week’s episode, he explains Medicare's hospice benefit, the difference between hospice and palliative care, and how accountable care organizations can better coordinate with these services.

Geoff Huggins (@GeoffHuggins) is the Director of NES Digital Service (NDS) in Scotland. NDS was established by the Scottish Government in 2018 to standardize electronic health records across the country to improve health outcomes.  Geoff shares some of the lessons he has learned along the way about engaging citizens, clinicians, and government organizations in health care transformation.

All Accountable Care Organizations have a patient representative on their board of managers. John Sickler, a retired businessman, serves as the patient representative on the board of managers for the Freedom ACO, an Aledade ACO in suburban Philadelphia. He joins Josh (@DrJIsrael) and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) to discuss his role on the board and how he helps the ACO promote evidence-based medicine and patient-centered care.