Build, Operate, and Reiterate: Why is it the Successful IT Model for ACOs?

The number of Accountable Care Organizations in the US has grown exponentially. Currently, there are more than 900 public and private ACOs spread out in the U.S. According to a breakthrough report by CMS highlighting the performance of ACOs, a total of $466 million were saved for Medicare in 2015. The key point to notice- only one-third, 31% of the ACOs managed to generate enough savings to qualify for bonuses.

Covering more than 32 million lives, ACOs have been instrumental in reducing healthcare costs. However, the low number of ACOs that generated savings speaks volumes.

IT engagement model cannot be a turnkey solution

There are some things noteworthy here: the increasing number of ACOs in the United States imply that care delivery is rapidly changing. There is an increased focus on capitation and value-based reimbursement models. ACOs are setting up sites- distant as well as local and extending their network. However, as the number of sites and systems increases, relevant information gets more and more distributed and complex to acquire.

Health IT solutions are seemingly an answer to this challenge. However, when ACOs leverage a Health IT vendor to fix their issue, the solution they obtain is very specific to their circumstances. In other words, these solutions may work perfectly for a while, but they become stagnant and ineffective if not updated with time.

Needs of healthcare organizations change in a little over 1 year

First of all, it is crucial to realize the fact that needs of healthcare organization will change in approximately 1.5 years. And with that time, the health IT solution they have leveraged should also reiterate with optimized needs. Instead of going for a “ship and deliver” model or “turnkey solution,” ACOs need something lasting and self-learning.

Plus, to gain a better visibility in healthcare and non-care operations, it is better to have care management embedded in the same data platform for better tracking and reporting. ACOs need a single-source-of-truth, a powerful data repository that can perform several applications.

Third, and one of the most deeply-rooted challenges ACOs face is the existence of legacy systems.  We happen to be dealing with a considerable number of legacy systems. These systems often prove ineffective when it comes to the explosive amount of healthcare data present today. Additionally, the existing legacy systems may have rudimentary workflows, changing which is a time-taking task. Health IT solutions that can provide automated and intelligent work queues that map patients based on various parameters are a cherry on top.  

Do you have what you need? Or what your vendor has offered?

An organization needs to take a few steps back and retrospect what were they aiming for? Do they have what they need? Or what their vendor is capable of offering?

Your needs today will definitely change in years to come, which is why you shouldn’t go for a product that a vendor built as a ‘turnkey solution.’

Datashop, Innovaccer’s proprietary healthcare platform is the perfect ‘build-operate-reiterate’ solution that is flexible. It is modular and can change as per an organization’s specific need. Datashop is a robust platform that doesn’t just stop at integrating healthcare data; it performs heuristic analytics that helps ACOs narrow down challenges in performance, identify high-cost drivers and improve network utilization. It leverages intelligent, machine learning algorithms that devise care plans suited to every patient and address their specific needs- right from finding the perfect health coach in the vicinity to providing transportation. Everything an ACO needs to set itself right on the path to better outcomes.

Healthcare goals aren’t the same for all healthcare organizations. Why should the IT engagement model be same then?

Innovaccer will be exhibiting its holistic suite of care solutions at ACO Leadership and Strategic Governance Forum to showcase the success story of its customer. Join team Innovaccer and learn how Innovaccer assisted one of the largest ACOs in Midwest America in winning big.

Attend the talk by Nathan Riggle, Director Analytics Mercy ACO on the engagement model that led Mercy ACO to success at the conference from September 18th-19th at Dallas, Texas.

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