ACOs Describe How Population Health Expertise Is Paying Off During Pandemic

In the wake of the pandemic, health systems have been forced to pivot quickly to redeploy personnel and other resources to support front-line clinicians and reach out to vulnerable populations. During a recent panel discussion, three executives discussed how their experience with value-based care models made them nimble enough to respond.

Speaking during the spring meeting of the National Association of ACOs, Mike Hebert, R.N., M.S.N., M.B.A., senior director UM (utilization management) of care management and geriatrics for Massachusetts-based Reliant Medical Group, noted that earlier work the multispecialty group practice did pre-COVID paid off when the emergency struck.

Reliant has established referral management teams and on-site population health resources embedded in primary care sites, with nurse case managers, social workers and care coordinators to help fill gaps in care. They also have taken steps to ensure smooth transitions of care with skilled nursing facilities. “The biggest benefit is having everything under one roof,” he said. Optimizing work flows can be  difficult in some settings, Hebert added. Having the infrastructure built the way it is allows Reliant to be efficient when it takes on a new payer or model or wants to change how it does something.

Full Article