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Austin Regional Clinic supports new Accountable Health Care
Public Education Program
July 6, 2011. Austin Regional Clinic is one of the medical groups recognized in a new public awareness program as being among those health care organizations that provide value and are “accountable” to patients.
The program was developed by The Council of Accountable Physician Practices (CAPP), a subsidiary of the American Medical Group Association (AMGA). The new public awareness initiative provides the consumer, media, and policymakers with resources and information about the value of care coordination and accountable care to patients and to national health care reform as a whole, as the debate continues.
The project, www.5realanswers.org, provides easily accessible tools, research, definitions, case studies, and FAQs about what accountable care should be, why it is important to the health of our country, and how to find it today in America. The campaign is comprised of a series of three micro sites:
www.AccountableCareChoices.org (for consumers),
www.AccountableCareFacts.org (for media), and
www.AccountableCareStories.org (for policymakers).
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), along with care coordination and medical homes, are touted as potential avenues for achieving the health reform goals of controlling healthcare costs and improving quality. Across the country, healthcare organizations – medical groups, hospitals and health plans – are forming partnerships to make the goals a reality.
Nationwide, there has been increased discussion about ACOs, and a growing culture of change in the healthcare landscape. The CAPP member groups, including Austin Regional Clinic and other health care leaders such as the Geisinger Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Harvard Vanguard, Intermountain Healthcare, Mayo Health Systems and others, have been leaders in developing healthcare quality programs that are among the best in the nation.
“The campaign strives to illustrate what health care that is accountable and patient-centered can look like when healthcare providers are properly motivated to work together,” said CAPP Chairman, Dr. Francis J. Crosson. “There are many medical groups and health care organizations in this country that embrace accountability for cost and quality, and as such have become leaders in our industry.”
Austin Regional Clinic has a commitment to patient-centered, coordinated care and played an active role in developing the CAPP campaign to share the knowledge, experience and vision of what accountable care can be. Dr. Norman Chenven, ARC CEO & Founder, who is also an AMGA Board Member and Chair of the CAPP Communications Workgroup, says “If you look at how ARC takes care of patients today, you see that we are already practicing accountable care, and the model of care we provide is the wave of the future in healthcare delivery.”
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Austin Regional Clinic is a multispecialty medical group committed to providing comprehensive health care services throughout the greater Austin area. Founded by three physicians in 1980, it now provides healthcare to over 350,000 area residents with 18 locations in six cities, including both primary and specialty care. It is unique to the Austin area because of the widespread locations, convenient services and quality assurance programs. ARC patients enjoy such conveniences as same-day appointments, daytime urgent care, after hours care, and nursing services via telephone through the night. Most ARC offices also offer on-site radiology and lab services and some offices offer specialty programs such as a travel clinic and weight loss programs. Patients can also request future or same-day appointments from the ARC web site. For more information, visit www.austinregionalclinic.com.
The Council of Accountable Physician Practices (CAPP) is a consortium of some of America’s most prominent physician-led group practices and organized health systems. It is the goal of CAPP to 1) demonstrate that accountable physician practices deliver effective, efficient health care that improves clinical outcomes, satisfies patients, and controls costs, and 2) foster the development of accountable physician practices (or accountable care organizations) as a model for U.S. health care system reform. For more information, visit www.amga-capp.org.