About four years ago, Nick Macchione, who oversees San Diego County's public health system, had an idea to expand the ACO concept in a way that would involve a much broader range of stakeholders working together to improve the health of an entire region.
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Just as growing diversity is shaking up the nation's politics, the increasingly multicultural populations served by U.S. healthcare providers are also driving changes in the organizations' C-suites and boardrooms. But the transformation is still a work in progress.
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It might be hard to grasp how large and transformative the market for so-called medical body area networks could be in the years ahead.
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Bisbee, Ariz., is a former mining town of about 6,700 people, some 12 miles north of the Mexican border. It's now known as an enclave of sorts for artists and hippies. But while it has attracted galleries and coffeehouses, it has struggled to find healthcare providers.
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Food service companies and hospitals say the move toward healthier food options on hospital menus and cafeterias is shaping purchasing practices, food contracts and business strategies.
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As healthcare reform unfolds, midlevel health professionals such as nurses and physician assistants are advocating for more autonomy so they can play a bigger role in the delivery of primary care.
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Investor-owned healthcare systems have been adding to their legal ranks and boosting self-policing in an attempt to get one step ahead of heightened regulatory activity around fraud and abuse.
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Gagged by their supply contracts, some hospitals have devised a simple way to educate physicians about the cost of pricey implants: using color-coded stickers to indicate the level of a device's price.
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One of the lasting ripple effects of healthcare reform has been the drive toward consolidation—with health systems increasingly looking to take more control over the entire spectrum of care.But as healthcare providers have been challenged to work around new payment models, many are finding that being truly “integrated” means more than just adding wellness centers and post-acute-care services.
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This year was anticipated as the final dash toward the 2014 rollout of the healthcare reform law's major provisions. But the healthcare industry is also coming to the realization that 2013 will probably be remembered for more fiscal fights and deep federal cuts.Many of the prominent healthcare developments in the months ahead are expected to center around coming federal and state regulations that will provide final details for the major provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that finally take effect next year.
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Healthcare exits a year in which reform survived major challenges and enters the final year before millions are expected to gain health insurance. See what to expect in 2013.
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Although the economy may be slowly recovering and uncertainty over healthcare reform is lifting, healthcare construction is lagging behind as organizations assess what they need to do and can do next in an industry that is changing before their eyes.As a result, there might not be as much activity as systems continue to work on long-range plans and strategies.
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Hospitals enter the new year with more certainty that health reform initiatives, such as accountable care, will advance, but with the prospect of costly new policies to address the federal debt and deficit issues.Medicare's experiment with accountable care was scheduled to start its second year on Jan. 1 by introducing more financial risk for some existing ACOs and by adding a new crop of organizations.
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For investor-owned healthcare providers, the story of 2013 is expected to be similar to the narrative of 2012: consolidation, consolidation, consolidation. For-profit hospital systems are expected to continue, and even accelerate, their acquisition spree in the new year, as they seek to gain even more strength and scale.
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Hospital leaders have spent years in an unsettled environment talking about integrated care, but 2013 could mark a key year when officials follow through on those conversations and make significant headway in improving efficiency through new delivery models.
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