The NC Population Health Collaborative held its first meeting of 2017 with Accountable Care Organization (ACO) representatives and other stakeholders from across the statesharing best practices on how to achieve the Triple Aim (patient engagement, population health and cost efficiencies). Themeeting room,packed with over 100 people at the Aloft Hotel in Morrisville, was one indication that the move to value-based care is resonating with growing numbers of providers.
As Melanie Phelps, senior vice president of Health System Innovation for the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS), illustrated in her presentation the number of organizations embracing the value-based model of care has grown considerably since the Collaborative began in 2012. At that time, only six ACOs had launched. By 2014, the mailing list for the group had grown to 100. Today, the Collaborative list includes over 300 individuals, and about several dozen ACOs in the state has significantly increased.
“There are lots of folks working to improve health care here in North Carolina,” Phelps said looking over the crowd last week.
Appalachian Regional Medical Associates was the ‘spotlight’ organization for this meeting. Danielle Mahaffey, MD, and Christopher McCracken, MD as well as LaRayeRudicile, RN, BSN, the Clinical Integration Administrator for Appalachian Regional, introduced their organization, and described the challenges and successes they’ve experienced with their Medicare Wellness Visit Model project.
Gary Salamido, vice president for Government Affairs for the NC Chamber Foundation, spoke about his group’s ‘Roadmap to Value-Driven Health.’ He called on “all stakeholders” to help the Chamber reach their goal of North Carolina being among the top 10 states for value in health care by 2030. Dale Jenkins, CEO of Medical Mutual Insurance Company, is chairing the steering committee that hopes to achieve consensus on just what health care value means – the first step on the roadmap to 2030.
Stephen Nuckolls, CEO of Coastal Carolina Healthcare in New Bern and Board Chair of the National Association of ACOs (NAACOs) and Jennifer Gasperini, NAACOs senior policy director gave an update on the latest federal news. Even as much remains uncertain about the future of the Affordable Care Act, it appears that MACRA, which had strong bi-partisan support when it was passed, will stay.
The next Collaborative meeting will be held in conjunction with the M3 Conference, Sept. 14-16 at the Raleigh Crabtree Marriott in Raleigh. For more information, contact Dana Lucas, at or 919-833-3836.