November 25, 2020
Bethesda, MD and Ridgeland, MS – Local doctors in the Magnolia State will soon have a new partner to help keep their patients healthy. Maryland-based Aledade, Inc. has announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP), focused on supporting a newly-formed, primary care physician-led Accountable Care Organization (ACO).
Aledade partners with independent doctors to create and run ACOs, networks of physicians who band together to deliver coordinated care to patients. They operate under a payment structure that rewards positive health outcomes for patients, instead of the volume of health care services delivered.
“Family physicians have a unique connection with their patients,” said Dr. Farzad Mostashari, CEO and co-founder of Aledade. “They are best positioned to lead the transformation towards value-based health care, and our ACO will empower them to do so. And just like these doctors have a special relationship with their patients, the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) has a special relationship with Mississippi doctors. We’re excited to work with this team, and know this partnership – and the ACO – will benefit Mississippi independent doctors and their patients.”
With this partnership, Aledade continues its work with several state AFP chapters focused on helping primary care physicians succeed in a value-based healthcare system. Aledade and MAFP will work with physicians across Mississippi to build a Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO. Aledade ACOs focus on delivering the highest-quality care to patients, with an emphasis on preventative care, high-value referral networks, customized technology, and unmatched analysis of patient claims and electronic health record (EHR) data to identify patients who need help before serious medical problems arise. Aledade’s partnership with MAFP will enable the new ACO to provide in-person support for physicians throughout the entire setup and operation of the new organization.
“At their very core, both Aledade and the MAFP are organizations with the mission of advocating for primary care and their patients. The practices and resources that the MAFP brings to pair with the other high-performing practices in our Mississippi/Tennessee ACO will create a meaningful, noticeable change in healthcare delivery in Mississippi,” said Blaine W. Lindsey, JD, MPH, Executive Director of Aledade’s Mississippi and Tennessee ACO.
MAFP past president, Dr. Jennifer Gholson, knows first hand the struggles faced by family physicians when they are not informed of patient activity. “I believe the technology Aledade provides its physician partners will give me the ability to better assist patients as we navigate the healthcare system together. We will have a clearer picture of all the healthcare hands that are touching our patients. We are pleased to partner with an organization that values primary care as a leader in healthcare transformation.”
“MAFP leadership understands CMS wants to move from fee for service to value based care and we want to give our members opportunities to assist in the transition. Aledade is empowering our family doctors to manage care for patients while keeping the primary care physician at the heart of the ACO,” stated Beth Embry, MAFP Executive Director. “Aledade is seen as very low risk for our family physicians, allowing them to take the next step in value centered care.”
Based in Ridgeland, MAFP is a statewide professional association of approximately 1,016 members, including physicians, residents and medical students. Since 1949, MAFP has represented the professional interests of Mississippi family physicians; the organization is dedicated to advancing the specialty of Family Medicine and improving the health of Mississippi patients. MAFP staff will provide educational resources to help its members understand the benefits of ACO participation and population health, and will serve as a strong presence to aid in creating health policy conducive to empowered primary care. MAFP will also provide direct support to help practices within the ACO implement and enhance wellness services and care coordination, including after-hours, specialists, and long term care coordination.
Aledade will also bring regulatory expertise to Mississippi physician practices, ensuring all participating doctors meet necessary ACO and meaningful use standards. Internally, the ACO will establish quality benchmarks and a governing board to develop and share best practices for patient outreach, engagement, and treatment.
Aledade’s mission is to empower doctors on the front lines of medicine with cutting edge technology to help them deliver high-quality care, while bringing down health care costs. Aledade partners with independent primary care practices to make it easy, profitable, and low-risk for physicians to succeed in the value-based health care economy. Since its founding in June 2014, the company has partnered with more than 110 practices across 11 states, and covers approximately 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries. Aledade is a member of the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations.
Over the past year, Aledade ACO practices have increased preventative care visits by 400 percent and vaccination rates by 250 percent. All Aledade practices offer same or next day appointments for patients with urgent needs, and 95 percent of Aledade physician partners provide 24 hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week patient access to an on-call doctor. All new and existing ACOs manage these cornerstones of care through Aledade’s proprietary, cloud-based technology and analytics platform.
About Aledade
Founded in 2014, Aledade is a new company with an old-fashioned goal: putting doctors back in control of health care. Aledade partners with independent, primary care physicians to provide everything the doctors need to create and run an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) – from business and practice transformation services to upfront capital and cutting-edge technology. The company is led by CEO and co-founder Dr. Farzad Mostashari, former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and has already established successful organizations in New York, Delaware, Maryland, and Arkansas.
Aledade employs a team of health policy, regulatory, data and practice transformation experts to implement customized solutions and continuous, on-the-ground support to help doctors in all types of communities across America preserve their autonomy, deliver better care to their patients, reduce overall costs, and keep independent physician practices flourishing. For more, visit: aledade.com.
About the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians
Based in Ridgeland, MAFP is a statewide professional association of approximately 1,016 members, including physicians, residents and medical students. Since 1949, MAFP has represented the professional interests of Mississippi family physicians; the organization is dedicated to advancing the specialty of Family Medicine and improving the health of Mississippi patients. MAFP staff will provide educational resources to help its members understand the benefits of ACO participation and population health, and will serve as a strong presence to aid in creating health policy conducive to empowered primary care. MAFP will also provide direct support to help practices within the ACO implement and enhance wellness services and care coordination, including after-hours, specialist, and long term care coordination.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
For more information regarding Aledade, contact:
Kenneth Baer
[email protected]
(202) 792-7200
For more information regarding the MAFP, contact:
Beth Embry
[email protected]
(601)-853-3392