Series of regional meetings focused on ACOs are drawing healthcare leaders together: AMGA

The American Medical Group Association announced that the most recent in a series of regional meetings focused on accountable care organizations (ACOs), hosted by Group Health Permanente in Seattle, Washington, continued to build on the success of previous meetings in the series. The meetings are drawing healthcare leaders together to network in an intimate setting and to learn from leading medical groups and organized systems of care that are exemplars of the ACO model. AMGA and its members developed the ACO model based on the experiences of its members in the CMS Physician Group Practice Demonstration and the practice patterns of high-performing healthcare organizations.

"We're pleased that these meetings continue to strike a chord with healthcare leaders who see the patient care benefits of the ACO model," said Donald Fisher, Ph.D., CAE, President and CEO. "Our members are and will continue to be the unquestioned leaders in the ACO movement. AMGA is uniquely positioned to provide a framework for this necessary evolution in delivery system change. AMGA members are the foremost high-performing, healthcare delivery systems in the nation and their experiences will inform and enlighten other organizations as they embark on their own journey."

"Group Health is excited to welcome AMGA to Seattle," said Stephen Tarnoff, M.D., Associate Medical Director, Group Health Permanente/Group Health Cooperative. "We have a new landscape since the passage of healthcare reform, and we're eager to realize the gains the law aims to provide. We look forward to enthusiastic discussion and information sharing with some of our nation's largest and most prestigious integrated healthcare delivery systems about how we can deliver and finance health care more efficiently and effectively for future generations."

For many years, AMGA has pushed for reform efforts that foster the creation of community-based entities accountable for comprehensive healthcare services-referred to as ACOs in the newly passed healthcare legislation-that promote accountability and build on the practice patterns of high-performing organizations. It provided guidance to congressional leaders on the appropriate language regarding ACOs and lobbied aggressively for its inclusion. As part of its continuing efforts, the association is hosting a series of meetings in 2010 that bring together the leaders of healthcare delivery systems to educate medical group leaders on how to develop, operate, and maintain high-performing ACOs. The meetings focus on physician-led, patient-centered ACOs and go beyond the theoretical by bringing together actual case studies presented by the medical group leaders with firsthand experience in providing accountable care to their patients. They will culminate in the fall at AMGA's Institute for Quality Leadership, subtitled the "AMGA National Summit on ACOs."