New ACO expands in Tucson

In today's Arizona Daily Star, the headline reads, "New 'accountable' model of health care expands here."  I mentioned in class that TMC had an ACO, called Arizona Connected Care.  The CIO is a UA Masters in MIS alum, Michael Griffis.  You can check him out on LinkedIn. (Maybe there's a project there for some of you.)

Arizona Connected Care, is what's known as an "accountable care organization."  It is the only accountable care organization in Southern Arizona, and it's the first markets where UnitedHealthcare is partnering with an ACO.

At least three accountable care organizations are operating in Arizona. Patients do not need to do anything to participate. As long as their care providers are part of Arizona Connected Care, they will see no changes other than more follow-up and attention from providers in the organization.

The article goes on to say that thousands of Southern Arizonans enrolled in UnitedHealthcare "will soon be able to get care through a unique local business that's intended to contain spiraling medical costs by giving patients more attention."  The goal is fewer chronically ill patients and fewer hospital readmissions.

"Monitoring patients after they are discharged can help keep them from falling through the cracks and improve communication between various providers like a hospital, nursing home, physical therapist and rehab center," officials say.

Read more from the article, and check out Arizona Connected Care.

Growing Pains as Doctors' Offices Adopt Electronic Records

Information technology has transformed much of the American economy, but its use in health care still lags, especially when it comes to electronic medical records.  Here's an example: The state of Colorado runs a computerized registry where any provider who gives a child a vaccine can report that information. The system should help kids stay current with their immunizations.

But the state's computer system isn't compatible with most of the ones doctors use, so many practices don't update the central database because it's just too much extra data entry, says Dr. Allison Kempe, director of the Children's Outcomes Research Program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. That means doctors and researchers like her, who try to keep kids' immunizations on track, can't rely on it to make sure a vaccine isn't missed or given twice.

We're talking thousands of data fields around things that are life and death," says Farzad Mostashari, the national coordinator for health information technology at the Department of Health and Human Services. His office is charged with leading American medicine's digital transformation.  Patients would get better care, at lower cost, if health care systems could share patient records easily. But that won't happen until doctors and hospitals start getting paid for being smart about IT. 

Read more, or listen to the story.... and follow links to Kaiser Health News at the end of the article for other excellent news on health and healthcare.

When Doctors Don't Listen

I was driving to school and wished I could share this with you in the moment.    It was on the Diane Rheem show, and she was interviewing two doctors about a book they just wrote, "When Doctors Don't Listen: How to Avoid Misdiagnoses and Unnecessary Tests."

The United States spends $2.5 trillion on health care, accounting for more than 16 percent of our gross domestic product. But more spending has not translated into better results: the U.S. consistently ranks below other countries on delivering quality health care. A major culprit in rising costs is medical testing, which totals $250 billion extra every year. In a new book, two Harvard doctors say physicians rely too much on algorithms and formulas to make a diagnosis, leading them to order unnecessary tests. How to get the right diagnosis and better care from your doctor.

The focus of the book is on 8 pillars that patients can do to get the care they need.  

Here is the Diane Rhem show about this topic.  Here is the transcripts, or you can listen to the audio. If nothing else, read the excerpt from the book, as well as the comments from others.  

Add your own thoughts to this post.    Have you are a loved one or friend experienced doctor visits where tests are done before they truly understand what is wrong with the patient?  Do you think the 8 pillars will work?  Why or why not?

UA@WORK

  Maybe you've seen this "Smart Moves" icon around campus.  The U of A is helping employees and students be able to identify programs, services activities and food choices that promote a healthy lifestyle.  David Salafsky, director of health promotion and preventive services for the Campus Health Service. "We have a great campus community that promotes walking, biking and a range of physical activities. A lot of programs are already in place. This is really about identifying them."

I've asked David to come to talk to our class.  Follow other UA@Work initiatives.

Would you be more likely to use services that had the "Smart Moves" icon?  Why or why not?