In West Michigan, two organizations representing independent physicians are considering a merger. Like many other independent physicians around the country, these doctors want to retain some level of autonomy, but they also need the technology and population health infrastructure to engage in an accountable care organization (ACO).
That’s where Answer Health--the umbrella organization that would encompass both independent physician organizations--can help, reports West Michigan Business News (MiBiz). By banding together, the physician organizations can retain a level of independence while leveraging Answer Health’s technology capabilities in value-based care.
However, maintaining a level of autonomy requires having a “seat at the table," Farzad Mostashari, M.D., founder of Aledade, an ACO services firm, tells Medical Economics. That’s why leaders at independent physician practices need to conduct an appropriate level of due diligence when considering joining an ACO, Mostashari says.
“[I]f you are going to join an ACO, make sure that you’re joining as one among equals, that there isn’t someone or some organization that dominates the ACO and their agenda is what dominates the ACO,” Mostashari told the publication. “Make sure you ask yourself: ‘Are the incentives of all of us aligned with each other and with what’s in the patient’s best interest?’ I think that is the most important.”
- read the MiBiz article
- here’s the Medical Economics article