eBrightHealth ACO Improves Care, Reduces Health Care Spending by $9.5 Million
Approximately 28,000 Medicare beneficiaries benefit from high quality care
The eBrightHealth Accountable Care Organization (ACO) reduced health care spending by approximately $9.5 million and earned a quality score of 86.7% in performance year 2022, according to recently released performance data by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
A market-based solution to fragmented and costly care, ACOs empower local physicians, hospitals and other providers to work together and take responsibility for improving quality, enhancing patient experience and keeping care affordable.
The Medicare Shared Savings Program creates incentives for ACOs to invest in transforming care by allowing them to share in savings they generate after meeting defined quality and cost goals.
The eBrightHealth ACO’s achievements resulted in a shared savings payment of approximately $4.65 million.
This is the third consecutive year the ACO has achieved shared savings and the seventh consecutive year that eBrightHealth ACO has reduced health care costs for its attributed beneficiaries. The cumulative amount saved during the ACO’s participation in the program is $54 million.
“The eBrightHealth ACO continues to deliver outstanding quality results to our Medicare beneficiaries and save millions of dollars in their care,” said Christine Donohue-Henry, M.D., MBA, president and CEO of eBrightHealth ACO.
“We’re so proud of our participating providers and their care teams who put their patients first every day and focus on high quality, coordinated care to deliver the right care, at the right place, at the right time.”
The eBrightHealth ACO helps clinicians address clinical, behavioral, social and other needs of Medicare beneficiaries while improving their access to primary care, preventing unnecessary emergency department visits and decreasing the amount of time they spend in hospitals.
“These achievements are great news for eBrightHealth ACO, but more importantly for our Medicare beneficiaries who continue to receive the highest quality of care.”
— Rose Kakoza, M.D., MPH
Through regular communications, eBrightHealth ACO also educates and engages beneficiaries to take control of their health through medication adherence, annual wellness visits and other important wellness activities.
For the 2022 reporting period, eBrightHealth ACO received high marks for controlling blood sugar in patients with diabetes and blood pressure in hypertensive patients, as well as significantly reducing unplanned hospital readmissions.
“These achievements are great news for eBrightHealth ACO, but more importantly for our Medicare beneficiaries who continue to receive the highest quality of care,” said Rose Kakoza, M.D., MPH, senior clinical network director, ChristianaCare Clinical Alliance.
“Commitment and teamwork by all our clinicians are truly making a difference in the lives of our patients and keeping them healthier longer. We will continue to work tirelessly to improve the patient experience and positively impact the lives of our patients.”
Since its founding in 2016, eBrightHealth ACO’s more than 1,400 partnering primary and specialty care clinicians and two health systems have been supported by CareVio®, ChristianaCare’s award-winning care coordination program.
CareVio harnesses real-time data and predictive analytics to identify opportunities to help Medicare beneficiaries better manage their health and avoid complications that might lead to unnecessary hospitalizations or avoidable visits to the emergency department.
The National Association of ACOs provides more information on ACOs, including a fact sheet and other resources — What is an ACO? and the ABCs of ACOs.
About eBrightHealth ACO
The eBrightHealth ACO is an accountable care organization that currently includes more than 1,400 primary and specialty care clinicians from two regional health systems — Bayhealth and ChristianaCare — as well as three private primary care practices and two federally qualified health centers, Westside Family Healthcare and La Red Health Center. This statewide collaboration helps clinicians address the overall health needs of Medicare beneficiaries, including behavioral health and non-medical needs that impact health, through highly coordinated care that focuses on primary care and careful management of chronic conditions to prevent the need for emergency care and hospitalization. The eBrightHealth ACO serves 28,000 Medicare beneficiaries from Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Care coordination is provided by ChristianaCare’s award-winning care coordination program, CareVio®.