The ACO Show

Josh (@DrIsrael) and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) had the opportunity to speak with Erica Ashe, a Resident Assistant at the University of Michigan in hematology and oncology, and Dr. Phil Rogers (@PhilRodgersMD), a Family Physician at the University of Michigan, working in their Comprehensive Gender Services program. Erica is one of Dr. Rogers' patients and has been through the transgender process herself. As a transgender male-to-female patient of color, she brings an incredible story to share with Aledade. 

Dr. Karen L. Smith (@KLSmithMD) is a national leader in primary care and was named the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Family Physician of the Year in 2017.  She is also an independent primary care physician and the medical director of Aledade’s North Carolina ACO. Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) speaks with Dr. Smith about what the Declaration of Independence can teach us about the current state of American healthcare and why she is optimistic about the future of primary care.

Allison Brennan is the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOs), a nonprofit organization focused on fostering the growth of the ACO model. On this week’s podcast, she sits down with Josh (@DrJIsrael) and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) to discuss how to improve ACO policy in order to ensure the sustainability of the model and advance population health.

To celebrate Aledade’s 5th birthday, Dr. Mark McClellan, joins Farzad Mostashari (@Farzad_MD), Josh (@DrIsrael), and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) to discuss the past and present and Accountable Care Organizations. Dr. McClellan is a former commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, former administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and played key roles in the creation of ACOs.

Nick Bartz, Vice President of Business Intelligence at Aledade, joins the ACO Show this week with Josh (@DrIsrael) and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler). The Business Intelligence team at Aledade helps guide the vision, design and development of a suite of managerial tools to that will support Aledade’s 30+ value-based care contracts across 24 states. Our rapidly expanding national network includes more than 4,000 primary care providers and 500,000 patients, with $3.6B in annual medical spending under management. His team helps guide our decisions with analytics as the source of truth.

Rachel Roubein (@rachel_roubein) is a healthcare reporter for POLITICO Pro where she focuses on doctors and hospitals. She previously covered healthcare for The Hill and National Journal. Rachel joins Josh (@DrJIsrael) and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) to discuss the ongoing political debate about the direction of the American healthcare system and trends in the politics and policy impacting healthcare providers across the country. You can also follow Rachel’s contributions to POLITICO’s daily healthcare policy-focused newsletter Pulse.

Charlie Colligan joins Josh (@DrJIsrael) and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) on this week's episode to discuss his journey to becoming Chief Financial Officer of Aledade and the complexities of financing a company that enables accountable care organizations to provide better patient care. Charlie has leveraged his unique background in government programs and technology to set Aledade and its partner practices on the path towards financial success.

Dr. Lowentritt (@LowentrittMd) joins Dr. Josh Israel (@DrIsrael) this week to discuss what it's like being a specialist in a rescue ACO at Internal Medicine Specialists. 

On this week’s podcast, Josh (@DrJIsrael) and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) welcome Sean Cavanaugh (@dc_cavanaugh) and Travis Broome (@Travis_Broome) back to the show to discuss the recent announcement of several primary care-focused initiatives: Primary Care First & Direct Contracting. Sean, Aledade’s Chief Administration Officer, and Travis, Aledade’s Vice President of Policy, share how these programs will impact primary care providers and ACOs across the country. They also provide their expert insight on what this announcement says about the ongoing trend toward value-based care and the essential role primary care providers play in that transformation.

Megan Slaga, Aledade's Director of Pharmacy, discusses high-value medication initiatives in accountable care organizations with Josh (@DrIsrael) and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler). She explains why Part D (prescription drug spending) isn't considered part of regular Medicare/Medicaid spend in ACOs and shares her insights on finding high-value alternative medications and promoting medication adherence.