December 1, 2020
Since joining Aledade last year, I’ve worked towards our mission of empowering doctors on the front lines of medicine with cutting edge technology to help them deliver high-quality care, while bringing down health care costs. Specifically, as Executive Director for Mississippi and Tennessee, I’ve focused on forming a new primary care physician-led Accountable Care Organization (ACO) in these states.
Today, I am proud to announce Aledade and I have a new partner in this initiative. We have begun a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP), a statewide professional association of approximately 1,016 members, including physicians, residents, and medical students. At their very core, both Aledade and the MAFP are organizations with the mission of advocating for primary care physicians and their patients.
Aledade ACOs are made up of carefully selected physicians identified for their dedication to and delivery of high-quality care. Our Mississippi ACO is a group of top-level physicians from throughout all of Mississippi and the Memphis area, combined with leading physician members from MAFP.
With this partnership, Aledade continues its work with state-wide physician associations, including several other AFP chapters, focused on helping primary care physicians succeed in a value-based healthcare system. We will work with the MAFP and physicians across Mississippi and the Memphis area to operate a Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO. Our focus is 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.
This Aledade ACO means Mississippi and Tennessee patients can continue to see their local family physicians, with whom many have personal relationships. But, these family physicians will be more empowered than ever to manage patient care. Our ACO provides physician partners with the technology and network needed to better assist patients as they navigate a complex healthcare system. Patients can expect improved services as a result of the Aledade ACO, including after-hours care, transitions of care coordination, and long term care coordination. The bottom-line for patients is more personalized, high-quality care from physicians who operate in a system that rewards them for positive health outcomes, not simply services delivered.
For physicians, our partnership with the MAFP will enable the new ACO to provide in-person support throughout the entire setup and operation of the organization. MAFP will provide direct support to help practices within the ACO implement and enhance wellness services and care coordination. MAFP staff will also offer 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.
The combination of top-level practices, MAFP’s resources, and Aledade’s custom technology, policy and regulatory expertise, and practice transformation experience will give independent primary care physicians the opportunity to be leaders in the healthcare transformation to value-based care.