ATLANTA & PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACO Partner, a newly formed joint venture designed to help strengthen clinical and financial outcomes for patients, providers and payers, is continuing to gain momentum and market share following its launch in Arizona last year.
Developed by McKesson Business Performance Services (McKesson) and Blue Cross Blue Shield® of Arizona (BCBSAZ), ACO Partner is a services organization that works on the behalf of payers and providers to create and sustain value-based care models. Comprehensive value-based care services provided by ACO Partner to primary care physicians include care coordination, physician engagement and population health technology and analytics.
The central objective of ACO Partner is to help healthcare organizations achieve the triple aim of improving outcomes, enhancing the patient experience and reducing per capita healthcare costs by more effectively managing patient care across all settings.
ACO Partner began physician recruitment in July 2016 and today has contracted with over 325 independent primary care physicians to assist in providing high-quality, cost-effective care to more than 30,000 patients. The number of physicians participating in the ACO Partner network has already exceeded the organizations initial provider development expectations by nearly 160%.
Brian Riveland, MD, chief executive officer of Thunderbird Internal Medicine and executive vice president of Arizona Primary Care Physicians in Phoenix, said his organizations aligned with ACO Partner to more effectively respond to new forms of value-based reimbursement and the expanding emphasis on value and quality among commercial payers.
“There’s no question that the ongoing shift from volume to value-based reimbursement is essential,” Riveland said. “But the amount of capital and technology required to be successful in this new environment can be significant, particularly for independent physician practices.”
“ACO Partner provides us with the capabilities necessary to improve our practice operations and clinical outcomes. We are excited to collaborate with BCBSAZ in expanding value-based care in our organizations. We truly believe this is a win for our practices, BCBSAZ and most importantly, our patients.”
Andrew Carroll, MD, Renaissance Medical Group LLC, said the care coordination and management services ACO Partner provides have been well-received by physicians and patients.
“ACO Partner’s clinical professionals collaborate with our team to help coordinate patient care, and the response from our patients has been overwhelming,” Carroll said. “Patients really appreciate personalized consultation and assistance when their conditions require them to navigate outside of our normal care setting. Getting help beyond the exam room is an invaluable service.”
ACO Partner is a payer-neutral organization that plans to contract with payers throughout Arizona and nationwide to support independent primary care physicians as the shift to value-based reimbursement accelerates.
Vishu J. Jhaveri, MD, senior vice president of Health Services and chief medical officer of BCBSAZ, said ACO Partner supports BCBSAZ’s primary care providers by helping them transform their practices toward value-based care while remaining independent.
“Adapting to value-based reimbursement is a complex, ongoing process that requires a new approach to providing care,” Jhaveri said. “ACO Partner delivers the resources independent physicians need to succeed in this changing environment while helping to improve the lives of our members.”
“At the same time, it’s important for ACO Partner to continue to collaborate not only with additional providers, but also with other payers, in order to achieve the triple aim. We are fully committed to supporting an approach that benefits patients, providers and payers by improving quality of care and reducing costs.”
John Wallace, president and chief operation officer of ACO Partner, and McKesson’s national vice president and general manager of accountable care services, said that ACO Partner’s goal is “to help payers support their independent provider networks and more effectively manage patient outcomes as they successfully transition to value-based care. Further, and as evidenced by the overwhelming market acceptance of our model, we will continue to substantially grow our footprint across Arizona and nationally near/mid-term.”
Payers seeking more information about how ACO Partner can help achieve the triple aim of lowering costs, improving outcomes and enhancing the patient experience can contact ACO Partner by visiting www.acopartner.com. Providers seeking to learn more about how ACO Partner can help with the transition to value-based care may view a video at www.acopartner.com/video.
About ACO Partner
ACO Partner was founded as a joint venture by MED3OOO, Inc., a subsidiary of McKesson and Trinnovate Ventures, a subsidiary of BCBSAZ. ACO Partner is an independent physician-centric organization that works with payers, providers, and patients to create value-based care models. ACO Partner is a payer-neutral company, with the goal of achieving the Triple Aim of improved patient experience, improved health of the population, and reduction in the per capita cost of care. For more information, visit: www.acopartner.com
About McKesson Corporation
McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 5th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to making the business of healthcare run better. We partner with payers, hospitals, physician offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and others across the spectrum of care to build healthier organizations that deliver better care to patients in every setting. McKesson helps its customers improve their financial, operational, and clinical performance with solutions that include pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management, healthcare information technology, and business and clinical services. For more information, visit www.mckesson.com.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ)
BCBSAZ is committed to helping Arizonans get healthier faster and stay healthier longer. With a focus on connecting people with the care they need, BCBSAZ offers health insurance and related services to nearly 1.5 million customers. BCBSAZ, a not-for-profit company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The company employs nearly 1,500 people in its Phoenix, Chandler, Flagstaff and Tucson offices. Through advanced clinical programs and community outreach, BCBSAZ is moving health forward. To learn more, visit www.azblue.com
