The AJMC editorial team was in Las Vegas this week to cover this year's National Association of Managed Care Professionals Fall Managed Care Forum. As always, AJMC strives to bring you the most relevant useful content that impacts the delivery of quality healthcare in the United States. This week's In Focus strives to bring the most salient points of the 3-day meeting directly to you.
New revenue models in healthcare are causing innovative payer-provider partnership, but the success of these partnerships will depend upon the willingness of all stakeholders involved to understand the needs and mindsets of their partners. John Harris, MBA, spoke about these different mindsets in his presentation, “New Payer-Provider Partnerships: How to Succeed.”
The most talked about new innovative payment model continues to be accountable care organizations (ACOs); however, implementing this model can be a rigorous process. Mike Meyer, President, Meyer Consulting, and Aran Ron, MD, Partner, Meyer Consulting, explained the key characteristics and traits that the leader of any ACO implementation must possess in order to be successful. Their presentation “Establishing Successful ACOs and Other Partnerships: A Functional Perspective" is a must-see for any group contemplating the development of an ACO.
In addition to new types of revenue models and partnerships, several sessions at NAMCP were focused on the rapid advancement of technology. HIT continues to be a key element of the ACA and, if used effectively, is poised to help lower overall healthcare costs. A session led by Robin Gelburd, President of FairHealth, focused on “Cost Transparency: How Educated Consumers Are Driving Change,” explained how access to more data will help all stakeholders make better decisions. Her company is dedicated to “transparent, current, and reliable healthcare charge information,” by offering “unbiased data products and services to consumers, the healthcare community, employers, unions, government agencies, policymakers, and researchers.”
The AJMC editorial team also had an opportunity to speak with several presenters at the conference. There were a number of presentations that focused on new strategies and data related to specific disease states, including non-small cell lung cancer with Thomas Stinchcombe, MD, assistant professor of clinical research, UNC Lineberg Comprehensive Cancer Center, and rheumatoid arthritis with Gary Owens, MD. Please be sure to visit AJMC TV to gain full access to the hundreds of interviews we have conducted with your peers throughout 2012.
Click here for more highlights from the NAMCP Fall Managed Care Forum.
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