What's New - Keeping Up

WCHN PHO UPDATE

Robert Langley, Executive Director

2012 was a great year for the PHO and we continue to build. We created a solid foundation and are moving forward with our three major goals: 1) develop a Physician Network of aligned physicians; 2) pursue managed care contracts for the PHO while at the same time prepare for the “accountable care” environment; and 3) build and offer various support services for our Member Practices. Here’s where we stand today:

• PROVIDER NETWORK DEVELOPMENT – Our community oriented provider network currently has more than 420 physician members throughout Greater Danbury and New Milford areas. The PHO is still recruiting new Members, so any physicians on the active Medical Staff who are interested in joining the PHO, please contact me directly at 203-739-6499 or Robert.Langley@wchn.org


• MANAGED CARE CONTRACTING/ACCOUNTABLE CARE – We are actively pursuing contracts with all major health plans and local employers, and have recently contracted with Aetna Health, Inc. and MultiPlan, Inc. We are in current discussions regarding Accountable Care arrangements and Health Insurance Exchange programs with various payers and expect to finalize new agreements soon. Health plans and employers are looking for value and want to partner with health networks that can demonstrate a truly integrated system of care that can deliver better outcomes at a lower cost.
  

  The PHO plays a major role in WCHN’s network-wide strategy to become clinically integrated across the continuum and to deliver care in a more “accountable” way. We are engaging more community physicians to help build strategies to improve our overall care delivery model, which includes creating clinical care pathways, establishing outcome metrics, implementing care coordination programs and developing the infrastructure to support Accountable Care arrangements. In addition, the PHO is expanding its community outreach program during 2013 to keep local employers aware of our clinical integration efforts and to identify opportunities to help the employers with their health care issues.

• PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SERVICES – The PHO rolled out the following programs in 2012:


1. Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Program - We have worked with McKesson to develop an EMR package that includes the award-winning Practice Partner EMR, medical billing and appointment scheduling solutions, and local financing options. We work with Complete HealthCare Solutions (CHS), the local support unit for McKesson to provide expert technology support for EMR implementation & training as well as ongoing support services. Several PHO Practices have implemented this EMR during the past six months, so if you are finally ready to move forward with an EMR for your practice, or are unhappy with your current EMR, please contact Adam Provost at CHS to get started at 800-250-8687 or aprovost@mailchs.com.
2. Group Purchasing Program – We have teamed up with Provista, a subsidiary of VHA, to provide savings of 10-15% or more for your office on its supplies, services and capital equipment. Provista is the nation’s leading purchasing group, serving more than 60,000 physician groups nationwide, offering significant discounts on things ranging from pharmaceuticals, to point-of-care testing equipment, computers, software, telecommunications, and document management. Access lower prices through its network of authorized distributors, which probably includes many distributors your office already uses. There is no cost to join Provista, and no minimum purchase is required. Contact Lisa Barefield at Provista to get started at 972-830-0751 or lbarefie@provistaco.com.
3. Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) support Program - The PHO has collaborated with CMS IPA and Qualidigm to provide interested practices with a roadmap and consultant services to guide practices to achieve NCQA recognition as a Patient Centered Medical Home.
4. Practice management education and networking programs - The PHO works with WCHN’s Managed Care Unit to offer timely and informative programs for your practice management staff. During 2013 we plan to offer programs focused on Connecticut’s Health Insurance Exchange (HIE) products and the challenges of transitioning to ICD-10-CM coding.
5. Health care benefit program for physicians and their staffs - The PHO continues to explore various options relating to health benefit programs for physician offices and hopes to announce such a program later this year.

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