Aledade Announces Primary Care Physician-Led ACO in Michigan

November 25, 2020

Bethesda, MD— Doctors in Michigan have a new local partner to help keep their patients healthy. Aledade is forming a new primary care physician-led Accountable Care Organization (ACO), named Great Lakes Physicians ACO, to provide quality care for patients in mid-Michigan.

The ACO is supported by a local partner, Great Lakes Organized Systems of Care (OSC), a physician-led and directed organization focused on improving patient experiences and health outcomes. The Great Lakes Physicians ACO will deliver high-quality care through a focus on care coordination, population health management, and preventive care. The ACO is expanding on the current work by the practices that are focused on commercially-insured patients.

Aledade offers a new model of primary care by partnering with physicians to build and lead Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) – networks of physicians who band together to deliver coordinated care to patients. Aledade ACOs allow doctors to stay independent, practice medicine like they’ve always wanted to, and thrive by keeping people healthy. The Aledade model operates under a value-based payment structure that rewards positive health outcomes for patients, instead of the volume of health care services delivered. Aledade supports independent, primary care practices with infrastructure and expertise – everything they need to succeed as an ACO – so practices can focus on patient care, with local support to thrive in new care models.

“At a time when regulation and consolidation are making it harder for independent physicians to deliver quality, personalized care to the communities they serve, Aledade offers a new model of primary care that puts physicians back where they should be: quarterbacking their patients’ health care,” said Dr. Farzad Mostashari, CEO and co-founder of Aledade.

Fifteen leading local practices have joined Great Lakes Physicians ACO: Alma Family Practice in Alma, Auburn Clinic in Auburn, Bay Area Health Clinic in Bay City, Bay Valley Internal Medicine in Bay City, Family Medicine Associates of Midland in Midland, Great Lakes Medical Associates in Edmore, Kochar PLC in Bay City, Midland Family Physicians in Midland, Prism Primary Care in Alma, Revan Maragiri in Bay City, Riverview Medical Associates in Bay City, Rosewood Health Care in Mount Pleasant, Schisler Family Medicine in Bay City, Tuscola Physicians in Bay City, and Walter J. Gruber MD in Midland. Aledade will continue to identify and recruit high-quality practices to join together in forming strong, independent ACOs in Michigan.

Great Lakes OSC provides unmatched knowledge of the local health care landscape and in-person guidance to the ACO practices. Great Lakes OSC’s network of providers works to coordinate care across all settings for its patient population. Great Lakes OSC strives to streamline health care through a variety of channels including reducing the redundancy of tests and labs, encouraging coordination and integration of care, and adapting to the unique needs of the patient population.

“Each of our physicians strives to have open communication with not only the patient but with all of the health care providers involved in the patient’s care,” said Lori Dale, Executive Director of Great Lakes OSC. “Understanding how all of the pieces of the healthcare puzzle fit together results in better patient outcomes and higher patient and physician satisfaction. The ACO model along with Aledade as a strong partner will support these endeavors.”

In the Aledade model, Michigan primary care physicians are provided unparalleled regulatory expertise; best practices from a national network of hundreds of primary care doctors; user-friendly technology and data analytics that provide visibility into the spectrum of care their patients receive outside their office; and face-to-face practice transformation support. Aledade ACOs also work to coordinate care across the community, engaging with other health care partners to provide seamless care that create values in health care by improving the quality and reducing the cost of healthcare.

“Our decision to join an ACO was driven the opportunity to take our game to the next level and beyond,” said Great Lakes Physicians ACO physician, Dr. Mark Ostahowski of Midland Family Physicians, PC. “With Aledade we get the experience, know-how and backing to get there.”

Since its founding in June 2014, Aledade has grown tremendously, partnering with more than 110 practices across 11 states, covering more than 100,000 patients, and taking accountability for nearly a billion dollars of annual medical costs. Aledade is also expanding into new patient populations and entering new markets. This week, Aledade announced new partnerships with (1) Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana to provide care to their members, (2) 10 Federal Qualified Health Centers in West Virginia to provide care to low-income patients, and (3) new ACOs forming in Missouri, Pennsylvania and Utah/Nevada.

New data shows that Aledade ACOs, in 2015, had a 251% average practice increase in preventive care visits and a 175% average practice increase in transitional care services, resulting in a decrease in hospital readmission rates. Aledade ACOs had a $51,000 average increase in practice revenue in 2015.

Also this week, Aledade launched a redesigned website that better highlights Aledade’s new model of primary care and encourages the public, providers, and others to visit: aledade.com

Aledade is celebrating its two-year anniversary with the hashtag: #GrowWithUs.

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 offers a new model of primary care that puts physicians back where they should be: quarterbacking their patients’ health care. Aledade partners with primary care physicians to build and lead Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) that allow these doctors to stay independent, practice medicine like they’ve always wanted to, and thrive financially by keeping people healthy. Aledade provides data analytics and user-friendly technology to help doctors provide more seamless care, unparalleled regulatory expertise, the best practices shared by a national network of hundreds of doctors, and face-to-face practice transformation support. Based in Bethesda, MD, Aledade 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. Since its founding in 2014, Aledade has established successful organizations in New York, Delaware, Maryland, Arkansas, West Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana, Virginia, and Kansas, which care for more than 100,000 patients.

At the heart of the Aledade model is the simple, but radical, idea that Aledade only succeeds when partner practices succeed in delivering better care at a lower cost. For more information, visit aledade.com.

ABOUT GREAT LAKES ORGANIZED SYSTEM OF CARE
Great Lakes Organized Systems of Care (OSC) is a network of primary care and specialty physicians working to coordinate care across all settings for its patient population. Great Lakes OSC seeks to create patient centered care by providing timely, appropriate communication between physicians and patients so the patient may be an active participant in their care based on their needs and requirements. Great Lakes OSC is currently comprised of over 60 primary care physicians and upwards of 200 specialists throughout the Michigan counties of Midland, Bay, Isabella, and Gratiot. Great Lakes OSC strives to streamline health care through a variety of channels including reducing the redundancy of tests and labs, encouraging coordination and integration of care, and adapting to the unique needs of the patient population.

Great Lakes OSC is continuously working to augment the quality of health care services delivered to its patient population. Quality health care is obtained by using evidence-based research and technology and by increasing access to effective health services. With an approach focusing on quality, patients are better able to maintain and restore their health.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
For more information regarding Aledade, contact:
[email protected] 
(202) 792-7200