[mdkam]

ACO's are required to hit seven standards for NCQA ACO accreditation.

NCQA Quality Standards an Option for ACOs

By: Jessica Grogan, MDNews.com

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Soon, accountable care organizations (ACOs) can prove themselves by opting in to meet certain criteria as defined by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. Will your ACO measure up?

After working with consumer advocates, purchasers, health care delivery experts, health services research, and managed care, the NCQA developed the following list of seven standards that an organization must meet in order to receive NCQA ACO accreditation:

Program Operations
Access and Availability
Primary Care
Care Management
Care Coordination and Transitions
Patient Rights and Responsibilities
Performance Reporting

The committee will confirm an ACO’s ability to meet accreditation criteria with onsite surveys beginning March 2012. ACOs that submit to an inspection agree to have their status and level of accountable care provided posted on the NCQA website, and the application process is now open.

ACOs need to serve at least 5,000 patients in order to have a sufficient number for quality reporting and financial risk management. Eligible organizations include:

Providers in group practice arrangements
Networks of individual practices
Hospital/provider partnerships or joint ventures
Hospitals and their employed or contracted providers
Publicly governed entities that work with providers to arrange care
Provider-health plan partnerships

The NCQA’s accreditation program classifies organizations in three levels based on a scoring system of 100 total possible points. These include:

Level 1 — Organizations in the earliest part of their process that achieve a score of 50 out of 100 would be considered Level 1.
Level 2 — Those achieving Level 2 would demonstrate compliance with 70 points and meet four “must pass” measures.
Level 3 — Organizations classified as Level 3 go above and beyond meeting Level 2 requirements and must submit to annual performance reporting and evaluation to maintain the status.

[EMRexpert]

Becker's Hospital showcases country's top integrated health systems.

Becker's Hospital Review Names 61 Integrated Health Systems to Know

PRWeb

Becker's Hospital Review is proud to announce the release of its list, 61 Integrated Health Systems to Know, which showcases the wide variety and high caliber of services offered by some of the country's top integrated health systems.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) January 22, 2012

Becker's Hospital Review is proud to announce the release of its list, 61 Integrated Health Systems to Know, which showcases the wide variety and high caliber of services offered by some of the country's top integrated health systems.

The health systems featured on this list have achieved a high level of integration as demonstrated through strong physician alignment. They also address the continuum of care through clinics, rehabilitation centers, psychiatric care facilities, medical groups, accountable care organizations and various other healthcare entities. As the healthcare industry moves from a fee-for-service model to a pay-for-performance system that focuses on quality patient care, these organizations have been at the forefront in providing access to an array of health services beyond direct patient care, such as pharmacies, educational opportunities, management companies and health plans.

Health systems were selected for inclusion on this list based on data from healthcare analytics company SDI, nominations and careful research by the Becker's Hospital Review editorial team. Health systems do not pay and cannot pay to be included on this list. There are never fees involved in Becker's Hospital Review lists. Recognized health systems are free to note their inclusion through marketing materials, website promotion, press releases and other media materials without paying a fee.

About Becker's Hospital Review
Becker's Hospital Review is a bimonthly publication offering up-to-date business and legal news and analysis relating to hospitals and health systems. Our content is geared toward high level hospital leaders, and we work to provide valuable content, including hospital and health system news, best practices and legal guidance specifically for these decision makers. Each issue of Becker's Hospital Review reaches more than 18,000 people, primarily acute-care hospital CEOs and CFOs.