Concord Hospital, Others Form Accountable Care Org

, Elliot Hospital and 544 employed
healthcare providers have joined together to form the Concord/Elliot
Accountable Care Organization (ACO), a new program designed to improve
care for Medicare patients while reducing overall healthcare costs.
The Concord/Elliot ACO has been selected to participate in the Medicare
Shared Savings Program (Shared Savings Program) Accountable Care
Organization (ACO), a multifaceted new program sponsored by the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Through the Shared Savings Program, Concord/Elliot ACO will work with
CMS to provide Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with high quality
service and care, while reducing the growth in Medicare expenditures
through enhanced care coordination.

"We are excited to partner with Elliot Hospital in this initiative to
transform health care and improve quality by engaging consumers in their
care and connecting them to the resources to improve their health," said
, Concord Hospital president and CEO. “The coordinated care
approach at the center of the Shared Savings Program ACO will ultimately
make it easier for patients to navigate the healthcare system, including
improved access to physicians and quality health care services.”

"Elliot is proud to partner with Concord Hospital as an ACO because we
understand the importance of care coordination as a critical component
to improve the delivery of health care to the community," said Doug
Dean, Elliot Health System, president and CEO.

The Shared Savings Program will reward ACO’s that lower the rate of
growth in healthcare costs for Medicare beneficiaries while meeting
performance standards on quality of care and putting patients first.
ACOs are groups of doctors and other healthcare providers working
together to provide high quality service and care for their patients.
Provider participation in an ACO is purely voluntary and Medicare
beneficiaries retain their current ability to seek treatment from any
provider they wish.

CMS will use robust quality measures to reward ACOs, including
Concord/Elliot ACO, for providing Medicare beneficiaries with a positive
patient experience and better health outcomes, while also reducing
growth in Medicare expenditures for the same patient population.

Today’s announcement is the culmination of a comprehensive selection
process that began in  the fall of 2011 with the national release of the
Medicare Shared Savings Program application by CMS. Concord/Elliot ACO
was selected based on rigorous eligibility criteria and program
requirements.

For more information about the Shared Savings Program, visit the CMS
ACO website at medicare.gov/acos.html.

About Concord/Elliot ACO
The Concord/Elliot ACO is a not-for-profit organization based in
Concord, N.H. and founded in 2012. The Concord/Elliot ACO consists of
more than 540 healthcare providers employed by Concord Hospital or
Elliot Hospital who coordinate the health care of more than 20,000
Medicare beneficiaries in our combined service area. We are dedicated to
promoting better care coordination, improving patient outcomes and
creating a collaborative environment with community partners. This
approach ensures that patients receive the best, most appropriate care
from the right provider at the right time by identifying and addressing
problems early. Working with Medicare, Concord/Elliot ACO provides its
beneficiaries with higher quality care while reducing growth in Medicare
expenditures.