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Newsletter for Physicians and Clinical Staff
“Happy New Year!"
A letter by Paul McLeod, M.D., MED3OOO Chief Medical Executive 
This is a great time to own a crystal ball. Headlines are filled with summaries of the past year and bold predictions for 2012. Having no such insight, I will confine my comments to that which is much more obvious.
I have chosen to focus on the three components of Secretary Sebelius’ recently announced quality strategy for US healthcare. These include:
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Improving the experience of care,
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Bettering the health of populations, and
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Reducing per capita cost.
I consider these to be excellent goals for the coming year, although achievability is much less certain. A number of national programs in development will directly support one or more of these categories and create the financial incentives needed to encourage wide acceptance and implementation by practicing physicians and hospitals. Let’s look at them a little closer, remembering that these represent “what” needs to be done, but not “how” to do it. The latter is much more difficult than the former.
Improving the Experience of Care
We are getting some of this right. Physical facilities are bright and comfortable and our employees are trained to provide a pleasant, courteous atmosphere. But these initiatives can be completely negated by delays in reporting lab results, scheduling timely appointments, or refilling prescriptions. The Patient Centered Medical Home can provide the infrastructure to ensure true patient-centered care that extends far beyond inviting facilities and courteous staff. The Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative provides significant financial incentives to those that make the leap. This could increase the revenue of primary care practices by up to one third. My bold prediction is that the Patient Centered Medical Home will become an essential part of successful primary care medical practice for 2012 and beyond.
Bettering the Health of Populations
The health of populations improves one patient at a time. Successful providers will be able to:
1. Identify the needs of patients within the population, including the use of predictive modeling,
2. Create a plan to meet all the needs, including acute care, chronic disease care, and preventive care,
3. Access and implement evidence-based solutions,
4. Partner with patients to enhance compliance, and
5. Document outcomes (clinical, satisfaction, and financial).
The government and industry are both looking toward ACOs to get this done. Financial incentives are on the table with the Partnership for Patients Program and shared cost savings for the population served.
Reducing per Capita Cost
Maybe the most difficult of the three, this goal assumes that preventive care, early intervention, evidence-based care, proper incentives, and patient partnership will result in savings. Sounds logical, but requires change. Not something that is easily embraced in healthcare.
So now you have it. The obvious will rule in 2012. Happy New Year from MED3OOO!
For a printable version of this newsletter click here: Jan Clinical 2012
The Clinical Advisory is a clinical publication from MED3OOO dedicated to informing physicians and clinical staff about tools and information to improve the quality of patient care.
For more information on our clinical initiatives visit www.MED3000.com or contact marketing@MED3000.com or 1-888-811-2411.
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