Implementation of Accountable Care Organizations (a component of the Affordable Care Act) is ramping up throughout the United States. We thought this would be a good time to reflect on how Barton Associates is positioned to support ACOs. There are, essentially, three key factors that will contribute to the success of ACOs:
- Quality. When it comes to ACOs, quality counts. ACOs are rewarded when certain quality metrics are met. In light of the nationwide physician shortage, it seems clear that ACOs will rely heavily on locums tenens providers. It’s critical that these providers are highly-skilled and well-trained. Barton will continue it’s efforts to build an industry leading network of candidates capable of supporting these quality metrics.
- Efficiency. ACOs are also rewarded for reducing costs – and must be highly efficient to do so. A big part of efficiency in this context is being able to adjust staffing levels quickly in response to patient volume/demand. Locum tenens staffing allows organizations to do this. Also, ACOs will need locums who are flexible and adaptable to new processes and technologies (such as EMR) – and Barton will continue to recruit such locums in order to provide the support they’ll need.
- Breadth of Services Provided. Finally, ACOs must provide comprehensive medical services across a wide variety of specialties. This may be challenging for many organizations, especially in certain regions and within certain specialties. Barton Associates continues to rigorously recruit physicians across all medical specialties – putting us in a great position to help shore up any staffing mix gaps.
It’s an exciting time in health care staffing and we look forward in playing a role in the success of ACOs! If you’re interested in learning more about ACOs and locum tenens, check out: http://www.modernmedicine.com/modernmedicine/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=758624
