Staff Report

LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Imagine that your doctor is not only aware of all of your medical history, but is also knowledgeable about any medical visits to other doctors or specialists, as well as any unplanned trips to the emergency room or urgent care that you made since last being seen. Imagine that your doctor’s approach to your treatment is centered on keeping you healthy instead of only helping you after you’re sick.

To that end, Atlantic Coast Health Network (ACHN) and UnitedHealthcare have launched an accountable care program to improve people’s health and their satisfaction with their health care experience.

The new accountable care program will dedicate more resources to care coordination and make it easier to share important health information. As a result, ACHN member hospitals, clinics and physicians will share in savings generated through providing care under a value-based, patient-centric care model focused on keeping people healthy.

Many people who have gone to the doctor or hospital – particularly those with complex or chronic illnesses – have found they often have to connect information from each of their doctor’s visits themselves, and have sometimes received duplicative tests or care that isn’t coordinated.

Through this collaboration, UnitedHealthcare and ACHN will work together to better coordinate patients’ care, using shared technology, timely data and information about emergency room visits and hospital admissions. This partnership will also provide services to help patients manage their chronic health conditions by enhancing relationships with their personal physicians and encouraging healthy lifestyles.

“Strong, stable partnerships with health plans like UnitedHealthcare will assist Atlantic Coast Health Network in providing the highest quality of care – improving the general health of our patients while helping to reverse the trend of rising clinical costs,” said Dr. Charles Russo, ACHN chairman.

A collaboration between Holy Cross Physician Partners (HCPP) in Fort Lauderdale and Memorial Health Network (MHN) in Hollywood, ACHN brings together 1,500 physicians with approximately 150,000 covered lives. This collaboration allows physicians, ancillary providers and hospitals to work together with the goal of providing high quality, person-centered care.

“UnitedHealthcare and ACHN are committed to helping people receive coordinated, more personalized care to enhance people’s ability to live healthier lives,” said Nicholas Zaffiris, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Employer and Individual in Southeast Florida.

UnitedHealthcare will supplement ACHN’s data to help support overall population health, giving the entire care team clear, actionable data about individual patients’ health needs, potential gaps in care and proactive identification of high-risk patients. Patient navigators may also be used to support community-based care coordination, such as helping with planning after a patient is discharged from the hospital and scheduling follow-up appointments.