NewsLine - November 2012 - (Page 17)

and waste, as providers are not encouraged to share information and coordinate care. Accountability in the ACO model is based on aligned incentives across silos while still maintaining a FFS payment structure (at least in the short term). There are a few mechanisms that are being used to increase accountability, including shared savings arrangements, in which providers get to keep a portion of savings; shared savings plus risk, which generally refers to providers who not only have the opportunity to share in the savings but are also at risk for some portion of overspending; and partial capitation, which allows providers to receive upfront payments for a portion of care for which they bear the financial risk. Participation in an ACO may, thus, require a willingness to be part of a “less-than-traditional” relationship—and bear some financial risk. Get to Know the Local Players It’s important to learn who the local players are and where they are in the process of an ACO’s development: • Keep tabs on any ACOs that are announced in magazines, newspapers, or online. A helpful resource are publications such as Becker’s Hospital Review that actively track the announcements of ACOs around the country. • Once you learn an ACO exists in your service area, you need to get access to its data (e.g., mortality rates, lengths of stay, top chronic diseases that are causing readmissions). Knowing this information will help you when it is time to approach the ACO about how your organization can help solve its problems. 7 Smart Questions to Ask When You’re at the Table When you’re ready to meet with your local ACO to discuss how your organization can help serve its most frail and medically complex patients, start by asking good open-ended questions to understand its needs: 1. What are the ACO’s plans for providing care for patients with terminal diagnoses? 2. Which patients will the ACO be targeting for care transitions? 3. How will the ACO use hospice and palliative care services? 4. How will the ACO select a hospice and palliative care provider to meet its patients’ needs? 5. What is the plan for those patients who are frequent flyers at the ER? How will the ACO manage chronically ill patients with no further treatment options? What is the ACO’s model for care management related to hospice and palliative care patients? It is also important to “get plugged into” 6. your community and maintain regular dialog with local leaders so 7. you are in the know on any new ACOs which may be forming. The more time you have to prepare, or stay ahead of the curve, the better. As with most changes in our industry, being proactive about this entire process, from the C Suite down, is key. continued on next page NewsLine 17 http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-physician-relationships/ http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-physician-relationships/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NewsLine - November 2012

NewsLine - November 2012
WHV Partners Give Thanks
A Message From Don
Free Distance-learning Sessions on Serving Veterans
ACOs Today: Are You Ready?
AchieveLinks: Introducing a Rewards Program (display ad)
Simione: Solving Your Hospice Challenges (display ad)
In the Continuum: KCHPC
The Voice of NCHPP
How a Veteran’s Experience Can Inform Bereavement Practice
Free Bereavement Section Activities
Now Live: eHospice
A Free Tool to Help Evaluate Your Service to Veterans
Member News and Notes
CTC Sponsors (display ad)
Compliance Tip
2013 MLC Plenary Speakers (display ad)
Videos Worth Watching
News From FHSSA

NewsLine - November 2012