Question

A hospital and an independent physician association (IPA) comprising 600 physicians have elected to apply to participate in the accountable care organization (ACO) program sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The hospital and IPA will agree to provide healthcare to a minimum of 5000 Medicare beneficiaries. Because the individual entities are required to report to Medicare as one entity on 33 quality metrics, including seven patient encounter caregiver experience elements, the ACO is interested in facilitating the widespread adoption of electronic medical records within the ACO. Accordingly, the hospital intends to provide assistance to the individual physicians to obtain electronic health records. In addition, the individual physicians will be required to achieve Meaningful Use and comply with policies and procedures of the ACO. Regardless of the electronic health record they would like to purchase, the individual physicians will be required to exchange health information electronically to improve effective communication between healthcare providers, reduce duplicate visits, and lower the overall cost of delivering care to the Medicare beneficiaries.

2. Describe the timeline and the potential financial impact to the individual healthcare providers who are involved in Meaningful Use of the program.

Answer 1

Potential Financial impacts:

• Medical impact:

In the hospital when the physician and other health care professionals are less, it is influencing the patient medical treatment and recovery.

• Health:

Based on the role of the health care professionals in the hospital the health is depending sometimes it leads to illness.

• Payment:

If the health care workers are more in the organisation the management has to pay the fees for providing treatment for the patient. It also depend on the how much care the physician providing to the patient based on the payment is given to the doctor.

• Social impact:

If the health care professionals are more in the hospital they will think that treatment provided by the doctor is good. In case there not treating properly it gives negative impression on the organisation.