We know that the Affordable Care Act is going to bring millions of newly insured Americans into the healthcare system, but what some hospital leaders don’t know is where those patients will enter. 
We are living in a strange time. The number of Americans who need medical care is on the rise while the number of physicians who can treat them is on the decline. This is creating a significant physician shortage. However, at the same time hospital admission rates have been on the decline for several years, due to better patient care. With the success of the ACA still up in the air, hospital executives have chosen one of two paths: wait and see how things shake out, or be proactive. Proactive healthcare organizations are expanding their offerings to engage patients outside the traditional hospital setting. They are creating patient-centered medical homes and affordable care organizations as well as offering more outpatient, ambulatory, and specialized treatment options. These steps also go a long way towards improving population health and preventing readmissions, which will protect organizations from payment reductions enacted through the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. For example, a recent HealthLeaders Media article profiled Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth- Hitchcock Keene (NH) which happens to be one of the 32 groups selected to participate in the Pioneer ACO model. The organization’s inpatient census has dropped one third and its readmission rate is 50% below the national average. These efforts have netted the organization $2.5 million in savings through the Pioneer Model. As organizations come up with ways to keep revenue streams open, Barton Associates will be there to support them with on-site and virtual locum tenens physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners staffing solutions. To learn more about locum tenens staffing options through Barton Associates, visit our Barton Advantage page.
We are living in a strange time. The number of Americans who need medical care is on the rise while the number of physicians who can treat them is on the decline. This is creating a significant physician shortage. However, at the same time hospital admission rates have been on the decline for several years, due to better patient care. With the success of the ACA still up in the air, hospital executives have chosen one of two paths: wait and see how things shake out, or be proactive. Proactive healthcare organizations are expanding their offerings to engage patients outside the traditional hospital setting. They are creating patient-centered medical homes and affordable care organizations as well as offering more outpatient, ambulatory, and specialized treatment options. These steps also go a long way towards improving population health and preventing readmissions, which will protect organizations from payment reductions enacted through the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. For example, a recent HealthLeaders Media article profiled Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth- Hitchcock Keene (NH) which happens to be one of the 32 groups selected to participate in the Pioneer ACO model. The organization’s inpatient census has dropped one third and its readmission rate is 50% below the national average. These efforts have netted the organization $2.5 million in savings through the Pioneer Model. As organizations come up with ways to keep revenue streams open, Barton Associates will be there to support them with on-site and virtual locum tenens physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners staffing solutions. To learn more about locum tenens staffing options through Barton Associates, visit our Barton Advantage page.
