How ACOs Are Changing Population Health Management
Healthcare is facing a unique time in history. The accountable care reform created the Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to help solve the biggest recurring problem in the healthcare system, and yet it is still here to stay. However, with the introduction of ACOs, certain issues, including cost and patient outcomes have conspicuously improved. ACOs are changing its focus for better management of a specific segment of the population. But how do they do it?

What Is Population Health Management?
Population health management can be defined in many ways. But in an article released by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), it is the aggregation of patient data across multiple health information technology resources, the analysis of that data into a single, actionable patient record, and the actions through which care providers can improve both clinical and financial outcomes.
The ultimate goal of population health management and ACOs is mainly to enhance the health outcomes by monitoring and identifying individual patients with the use of a
business intelligence tool
that can provide a complete clinical view of each group through consolidated data.
An Effective Population Health Management Makes a Difference
Population health management is a complex process that you can’t do alone. That is why it requires the coordination of many different leading healthcare providers. The only way that managing population health becomes successful is through a collaborative effort to connect all stakeholders, providers, and hospitals to work together and create a more healthy population. ACOs are gaining more ground as population health managers as they focus on managing the overall population’s health and not just one person at a time.

A Few Ways ACOs Better Manage Population Health
Population health management is key to allow ACOs to make a difference in the healthcare industry. From prevention to treatment, they are responsible for all aspects in the patient-care journey. In an article published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these are some of the points that can advance the improvement of population health:
Focus on a patient-centered approach
Patient-centered approach is a population health management strategy that ACOs utilize to prioritize the patient’s healthcare needs. It is important to understand the services or care they receive to ensure better and improved health outcomes.
Coordinate with safety net providers
ACOs coordinate with other safety net providers to better provide care for patients. This will allow them to ensure that all patients have access to healthcare and can receive a significant level of care no matter the circumstance.
Offer evidence-based prevention strategies
ACOs depend on evidence-based prevention strategies to reduce the incidence of hospital revisits and prevent chronic diseases from developing, pushing for a positive status on all population health.
Support policy changes promoting health behaviors
Supporting local and national policies that encourage a change in lifestyle and adopting healthy habits and behaviors is one of the most efficient forms of prevention that ACOs implement in managing population health.
Leverage QuickCap to Continually Achieve Optimal Health
ACOs might find it difficult to manage population health without an integrated healthcare solution. The lack of a technological tool makes aggregating patient data close to impossible. However, keping QuickCap v7 (QC7) as your main platform of support enables you to understand the necessary procedures, programs, and plans through the system’s different features and capabilities that include data analytics, case management, communication, and more.
With QuickCap, ACOs can be guided on how to proceed for each group, ensuring an effective management of all population health to ultimately achieve optimal health outcomes.
Find Out More About QuickCap Today!
References:
- https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dch/pdfs/partnering-with-acos.pdf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6139785/
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