Author Archive for Stephen Tarnoff, MD

ACOs discussed at national forum hosted by Group Health

By Stephen Tarnoff, MD

Recently, over 100 physicians and delivery system leaders from around the Northwest gathered at the Sheraton Hotel in Seattle to attend the Spring meeting of the American Medical Group Association (AMGA). Members represent leading medical groups and health systems in Washington and Oregon. Hosted by Group Health Permanente, the theme of the meeting was “learning from the best” and focused on creating high-performing care organizations. Attendees heard speakers from Group Health, The Everett Clinic, Virginia Mason and Northwest Physician Network describe their respective journeys toward creating accountable care organizations (ACOs). ACOs are new models of care that Congress is actively promoting as the answer to the overly expensive and disorganized system that is presently common in our country.

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Published on June 25, 2010 in Accountable Care Organization and Health Care Reform. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Group Health hosts meeting on creating Accountable Care Organizations

By Stephen Tarnoff, MD

This Friday (June 4) Group Health Permanente is pleased to host the American Medical Group Association’s (AMGA) Northwest Region meeting, one of a series of regional meetings being held in 2010 on groundbreaking delivery system reforms.

Group Health Permanente Executive Vice President Marc West and Executive Medical Director, Health Plan Division, Brenda Bruns, MD will share Group Health’s journey to becoming an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) with similar medical groups who are coming together to share best practices.

The program is designed to educate medical group leaders on how to develop, operate, and maintain high-performing ACOs. They focus on physician-led, patient-centered ACOs and bring together actual case studies presented by the medical group leaders with firsthand experience in providing accountable care to their patients.

Group Health is excited to welcome AMGA to Seattle. We have a new landscape since the passage of health care 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 health care delivery systems about how we can deliver and finance health care more efficiently and effectively for future generations.

For more information, visit the American Medical Group Association.

by Stephen Tarnoff, MD, Associate Medical Director, Group Health Permanente / Group Health Cooperative

Published on June 2, 2010 in Accountable Care Organization and Health Care Reform. 1 Comment Tags: .

Care integration is possible with ACOs

By Stephen Tarnoff, MD

Much discussion and analysis of the recent federal health legislation has focused on insurance reforms and expanded coverage. Important as these are, if the true goal is to improve quality and access to care while simultaneously making it more affordable, attention must now shift to delivery system reforms. A core issue is how do we address fragmented and poorly coordinated care and instead foster integration among community providers? One idea which has drawn a lot of recent interest and is explicitly mentioned in the legislation is support for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs).

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Published on May 14, 2010 in Accountable Care Organization and Health Care Reform. 0 Comments Tags: , , .