Collaboration helps us deliver higher quality care

What are ACOs? Find out.

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Quality care and patient safety have been ingrained at UHS since the company was founded nearly 40 years ago. Today, we are collaborating with physicians to deliver better care and improve outcomes.

A provision of the ACA (Affordable Care Act) established the Medicare Shared Savings Program. This program is designed to encourage greater accountability and improved delivery of healthcare by allowing the creation of accountable care organizations (ACO).

An ACO consists of healthcare providers and suppliers (like hospitals and physicians) that voluntarily work together to coordinate care for the Medicare patients they serve. The members of each ACO agree to be held accountable for the quality, cost and level of care in the services they provide to their patients.

As we continue to identify ways to transform the delivery of healthcare, providers are turning their focus on patient wellness and preventive care through the delivery of holistic medicine. UHS has supported the development of ACOs in Texas and is affiliated with the Silver State ACO in Nevada to support population health and encourage clinical collaboration across the continuum of care.

South Texas Clinical Partners (STCP) is a physician-led, hospital-sponsored accountable care organization. In its effort to optimize the coordination of patient care and be patient centric, this ACO strongly seeks the participation, advice and insight from healthcare providers. In fact, physician practices control over 75% of the governance of this ACO. The ACO executive, chief medical officer and committee chair positions are controlled by members of the physician leadership and are representatives of the participating ACO practices.

These organizations will provide an infrastructure to tie all of our services together into a narrow network that provides a much higher value to our patients, members, and insurers.

Marvin Pember, UHS Executive Vice President and President of the Acute Care Division

Per the guidelines of the Shared Savings Program, each ACO has a hospital sponsor. STCP’s sponsor is South Texas Health System. This sponsorship gives the care facilities associated with the ACO access to resources including training, care coordinating assistance, analytics and reporting support.

Forging stronger relationships between healthcare systems, beneficiaries and the community is helping to improve the overall health of the Texas community.

UHS Executive Vice President and President of the Acute Care Division Marvin Pember is encouraged by the results. In addition, he points out that, after UHS established the Texas Panhandle Clinical Partners Accountable Care Organization last year, nearly 200 physicians have joined the ACO. UHS also has an affiliation with the Silver State ACO in Nevada.