gram independently evaluates an orga- nization’s ability to delivery coordinated, patient-centered care, while improving quality and reducing costs. The pro- gram’s standards fall in line with federal guidelines and incorporate features from the committee’s patient-centered medi- cal home recognition program. Six organizations applied for the ACO
accreditation after NCQA began accept- ing submissions last March, and Kelsey- Seybold became the first to qualify for the voluntary, three-year designation. The clinic already had received NCQA recognition as a medical home. NCQA evaluated applicants on the basis of various standards and elements that include ACO structure and opera- tions, access to care, patient-centered primary care, care management and care coordination, patients’ rights and respon- sibilities, and performance reporting and quality improvement. The organization also collected data on clinical and service measures such as mammography screening rates, compre- hensive diabetes care, and patient satis- faction. Up-front investments in things like
electronic health records, medical man- agement programs, specialty facilities, and systems that cover the whole con- tinuum of care from prevention to tran- sitioning patients back home are what put the clinic in a position to receive the accreditation, Dr. Berthelsen says. ACOs are the future of health care, and more health care organizations across Texas and the country are getting on board, he says, adding that the model is attainable for smaller practices that band together with other organizations to pursue it. For Kelsey-Seybold, “now that we have this designation, we need to con- tinue to deliver on the promise of ac- countable care by bringing high-value medical care to our patients, which means elevating quality and taking out cost where possible,” he said. n
Amy Lynn Sorrel is an associate editor of Texas Medicine. You can reach her by telephone at (800) 880-1300, ext. 1392, or (512) 370-1392; by fax at (512) 370-1629; or by email at
amy.sorrel@
texmed.org.
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February 2013 TEXAS MEDICINE 47
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