Becoming Accountable to Patients - AtlantiCare - Essay Example

Presented here is a summary of the case study “becoming accountable to patients”, giving opinions of what the organization is up to and if it will succeed.

AtlantiCare intends to become a successful ACO through the coordination of healthcare and clinical outcomes of the patients it serves (HFMA, 2011). Secondly, the organization will work closely with its partners as well as the providers in order to establish defined clinical standards that will be appropriate and of high quality. Lastly, the organization intends to create new partnerships with some of the skilled nursing facilities and other providers as well as rehabilitation centers in order to create networks of high value. According to vice president Schieder, AtlantiCare will move towards accountable care by putting the patient experience at the lead of its goals. She is also of the idea that an organization cannot succeed if the people it serves are not at the center of its framework. AtlantiCare has three key strategies to achieve its goals.

One of the strategies adopted by AtlantiCare is launching a new lab for learning (HFMA, 2011). It will start a medical home from scratch citing that it is easier than transforming the existing ones. The reason is that the delivery, as well as the payment systems, will be redesigned simultaneously. The new model has the name “advanced primary care”, and according to the vice president, it has proven to be better care. Another thing with the model is that it is linked to a few ED (emergency department) visits and hospital admissions.

The second strategy involves identifying the patients’ needs. AtlantiCare recognizes the fact that patient experience is indeed important when it comes to growth and market share. The organization hopes to use surveys and focus groups to seek patient inputs to help it create its ACO. It, however, identifies some challenges in monitoring its effectiveness in meeting all its needs. The last strategy is about using the satisfaction data in other new ways (HFMA, 2011). It involves directives to the physicians to standardize the collection of data pertaining to patient experience. The organization intends to help others that use home-grown paper surveys to up their game.

Becoming accountable to the patients is one crucial thing if providers like AtlantiCare can afford to achieve those goals. Determination like the one exhibited by AtlantiCare works a great deal in helping organizations achieve their goals. AtlantiCare faces several challenges including huge funds to cater for the new lab. More so, putting in place new systems may make its operations complex. However, the size of the organization, its workforce, as well as the market share, are key are indicators that the organization will succeed. Furthermore, some of the things it has implemented have worked, and it is about only waiting for the implementation of others.