Newly named eBrightHealth ACO announces expansion

Newly named eBrightHealth ACO announces expansion

ACO adds two leading health systems and more physician partners to improve quality and lower costs.

Alan Greenglass, M.D.

Christiana Care Quality Partners Accountable Care Organization, LLC (ACO), is adding two leading health systems to the network on Jan. 1, 2017: Beebe Healthcare in Lewes, Delaware, and Atlantic General Hospital and Health System in Berlin, Maryland. Also joining are eight additional community practices and LaRed Health Center, a federally qualified health center (FQHC). On that date the ACO will begin doing business as eBrightHealth ACO.

The ACO is participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) launched by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to advance the Affordable Care Act. The MSSP facilitates coordination and cooperation among providers both to improve the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries and to reduce unnecessary costs.

In addition to the two new health systems, the ACO consists of Bayhealth, Christiana Care Health System, Nanticoke Health Services, Westside Family Healthcare (FQHC) and several community physician practices.

Since it began operations on Jan. 1, 2016, the ACO has been serving more than 26,000 Medicare beneficiaries and has involved more than 200 providers. With the addition of the two health systems and physician practice partners, the five-health-system-strong ACO will care for more than 45,000 Medicare beneficiaries in our service area and involve close to 300 providers.

Using the name eBrightHealth ACO aligns it with the newly formed statewide eBrightHealth network, which consists of many of the same partners. The eBrightHealth ACO will continue to provide the same care transformation strategies to its Medicare beneficiaries that the eBrightHealth network will provide to its diverse patient populations.

“The collaboration among the original partners of the ACO has been a tremendous benefit for our physician colleagues and Medicare beneficiaries,” said Alan Greenglass, M.D., president of the ACO. “Beebe’s and Atlantic General’s decision to join this ACO clearly underscores that this partnership is doing something positive and powerful for the health of our communities.”

“This innovative partnership will enable us to better serve the Medicare beneficiaries in our area,” said Jeffrey M. Fried, FACHE, president and CEO of Beebe Healthcare. “We are convinced that proactive coordination of care, careful attention to care transitions between providers and greater use of information technology improves the patient experience and delivers better patient outcomes.”

“Our partnership with this ACO will benefit our physician colleagues and provide value to the Medicare population we serve,” said Michael Franklin, FACHE, president and CEO of Atlantic General Hospital. “We will continue to focus on care coordination for our members, especially those who have more significant needs due to chronic conditions.” Atlantic General serves Medicare beneficiaries in Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset counties in Maryland and in Sussex County in Delaware.

A unique aspect of this ACO is Christiana Care’s care coordination platform, an information technology-enabled care coordination service developed by Christiana Care that works directly with physicians to support their patients. The platform harnesses an information technology platform that integrates available data regarding a person’s health data to enable highly trained caregivers, such as nurses, social workers and pharmacists, to proactively address clinical, behavioral, social and other needs that may affect someone’s ability to achieve optimal health and wellness.

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