In light of the upcoming seventh national ACO Summit on 6/9th-6/10th, I am very excited to attend and speak at a medium of discussion concerning the current place of accountable care organizations in the healthcare industry. Essentially, by facilitating collaboration between payer-sponsored ACO’s and the industry at large, we help to establish a common ground where uniform information can be disseminated as proper education.
So often, considering the nature of capitalism, patients are considered as only patients. However, patients are not just patients. They are human beings with social lives and professional goals. They are people who love and who are loved. Yet, when these people are diagnosed with a chronic disease, they are seemingly relegated to this category of ‘patient,’ wherein the only thing being addressed is the disease itself, and the humanity that makes this patient a human in the first is unfortunately neglected.
It is for this reason my talk will largely concern the journey itself of a man or a woman diagnosed with a chronic disease. By exploring the non pharmaceutical facets of these ‘patients,’ I hope to help provide a more wholesome view of the patient as an individual. This way, we can bring to light ways that patients can improve their quality of life despite the stage of their condition. For instance, there are ways to increase health at work that very commonly slip under the radar, overshadowed by conversation about cures or preventative measures. In this regard, ways to increase health outside of tangible medicine will be the main focus.
This all said, the above is really just my direct involvement with the ACO Summit. In reality, the ACO Summit has a number of plenary sessions in addition to track sessions. More specifically, the event features:
Plenary Sessions
- Effective Practice Transformation from the Top Down
- Partnerships for Accountable Care Innovation
- Maximizing the Impact of Bundles and Accountable Care Together
- Assuming Risk in APM’s
- Looking Ahead at Accountable Care: More Participants, More Experience, and More Options for Value-Based Care
Track Sessions
- Care for High-Risk or High-Need Patients
- Improving Practice Quality and Aligning Measurement Systems
- The Impact of Prescription Drug Pricing and Contracting on Accountable Care
- Opportunities to Maximize Data and Technology
- Integrating Community Care and Behavioral Health into Accountable Care
- Integration of Specialty Care into ACO’s
Just as well, the featured faculty at the event are sure to provide some valuable insight into accountable care organizations as well. Bruce Bagley, a man of many distinguished honors including but not limited to his position as Senior Advisor of Professional Satisfaction and Practice Sustainability, Senior Advisor of the American Medical Association, and former president and CEO of TransforMed, is but one renowned name in a list of many impressive individuals who have a lot to offer in they way of medicinal wisdom.
By standing together, and agreeing on what needs to be changed and how it needs to be changed, we will actually affect change. For more information, I highly suggest you visit the ACO Summit website or check them out on Twitter, here.