Meritage Medical Network’s ACO program was recently honored with a 2015 Case In Point Platinum Award by Dorland Health for Meritage’s Case Management in Managed Care Programs for Transitions of Care. Dorland Health is a nationally recognized leader in educational services for healthcare practitioners, and the Case In Point Platinum Awards are granted to those who set the standard for professionals and organizations by demonstrating sustained success across continuum of care efforts and coordination.
Case management and care coordination are in the national spotlight with the Affordable Care Act, which focuses on improving management of patient transitions and preventing hospital readmissions. Accountability, through incentives and penalties, is placed on providers to effectively execute these transitions. In light of this, and with the sincere desire to create a better experience for patients, Meritage ACO developed a new hybrid model of care to meet four specific goals:
- To reduce preventable readmissions among populations with the highest risk
- To improve patient safety via medication reconciliation
- To increase patient satisfaction by improving communication and coordination between providers and care settings
- To ensure that patient end-of-life preferences are taken into account
Through a program designed using evidenced-based initiatives, a patient-centric and team-based mobile care communications network, and skilled nurse care managers, Meritage ACO has succeeded in meeting their goals and providing patients with a better quality experience and continuum of care.
The Director of Care Management and Quality Assurance at Meritage Medical Network (Andrea Kmetz, RN) explained that “the care transition program has produced outstanding results, resulting in a readmission rate of just 10.2% for its highest-risk patients – considerably below the national average. This has placed Meritage ACO just shy of the 90th percentile for chronic heart failure, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and all-cause 30-day readmission avoidance. We are incredibly honored to receive this recognition from Dorland Health for our model of care program, and we continue to look for ways to improve our model and our patients’ experience.”
About Meritage Medical Network
Meritage Medical Network is a healthcare network representing physician members in Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties in California. We provide health care and administer benefits for HMO members in those regions. Our expert medical and administrative staff are dedicated to ensuring that patients receive the highest quality health care available. In January 2013, Meritage Medical Network was designated as an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) by Medicare. Meritage ACO delivers quality coordinated care to the residents of NorCal. For more information, please visit meritagemed.com.