CAPG and IHA convene health care conference focusing on ACOs

The California Association of Physician Groups (CAPG) and the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA) are convening a three day conference of health care leaders in Los Angeles, October 25-27, 2010, which provides an unprecedented opportunity for reporters covering healthcare to gain a deeper understanding of accountable care organizations (ACOs) and their implications to patients, providers, employers and our overall healthcare delivery system. As the nation gears up for federal healthcare reform, accountable care organizations (ACOs) are becoming the focal point of an innovative system of care that forces providers to work together to control costs and improve patient outcomes.

Highlights for Monday, October 25, 2010:

Key ACO Principles and Issues: Why Should Consumers Care about ACOs and how will it affect their Healthcare?
1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Donald Crane, President/CEO, California Association of Physician Groups and Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, Director, Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform; Leonard D Schaeffer Chair in Health Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, former CMS Administrator

California Profile: How Physician Groups, Hospitals and Insurance Companies Unite to become ACOs
9:15 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Southern California hospital and physician group discuss challenges and benefits of collaboration.

Aligning Physicians, Hospitals, and Health Plans to Make ACOs Work
4:45 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.
Elliott Fisher, Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, leads strategy session with California's hospital, physician group and health plan leaders to identify how they can achieve ACO goals and how it can be replicated across the country.