(Portland, Ore.) – Seeking to improve and coordinate care for thousands of local patients, the Portland InterHospital Physicians Association (Portland IPA), http://www.portlandipa.com/, this week unveiled a new Accountable Care Organization (ACO) with twelve participating health organizations.
Care Connect Northwest, LLC (http://www.careconnectnw.com/) is a network of primary care and specialty physicians who focus on improving the delivery of care through collaboration, and implementing efficient care to maximize healthy outcomes while meeting established cost targets. Under the Affordable Care Act, an ACO (http://www.accountablecarefacts.org/topten/what-is-an-accountable-care-organization-aco-1) is defined as a coming to gether of physicians, specialists, and hospitals to work for a patient population.
"This new effort is at the heart of health reform as framed by the Affordable Care Act,” said the Care Connect Northwest Manager Stephen Townsend. “We are helping physician groups move away from the traditional fee-for-service structure to a more value-based model of reimbursement.”
“Through Care Connect Northwest, we can create effective and lasting health care transformation, which starts with the patient-physician relationship,” said Susan Clack, M.D., primary care provider with Pacific Medical Group and co-chair of Care Connect Northwest.
By developing a network where the priority is working together, this new ACO aligns primary care physicians and specialists to provide timely, appropriate care that reduces duplication of services and unnecessary interventions, while ensuring high quality care,” said Tom Gragnola, M.D., primary care physician with Greenfield Health and medical director of Care Connect Northwest.
“Our doctors support NCQA recognition in both the Patient Centered Primary Care Medical Home and the Patient-Centered Specialty Practice programs, (http://www.ncqa.org/Programs/Recognition/PatientCenteredSpecialtyPracticeRecognition.aspx) which shows a mutual commitment to high standards of patient safety and quality care,” adds Dr. Clack.
Twelve physician organizations participating (http://www.careconnectnw.com/our-groups) in this new ACO include Women’s Healthcare Associates (http://www.whallc.com/), The Oregon Clinic (http://www.oregonclinic.com/), The Children’s Clinic (http://www.childrens-clinic.com/), Providence Health and Services (http://oregon.providence.org/), Pacific Medical Group (http://www.pacificmedicalgroup.com/), Northwest Renal Clinic, Inc. (http://nwrc.com/), Greenfield Health (http://www.greenfieldhealth.com/), Fanno Creek Clinic (http://fannocreek.com/), EyeHealth Northwest (http://www.ehnpc.com/), Compass Oncology (http://www.compassoncology.com/), Cascade Physicians (http://cascadephysicians.com/), and Broadway Medical Clinic (http://broadwaymedicalclinic.com/home.py).
Care Connect Northwest includes primary care and specialties such as allergy, audiology, obstetrics, gynecology, nephrology, pediatrics, cardiology, neurology, rheumatology, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, dermatology, oncology, podiatry, sleep medicine, burn treatment and critical care medicine as well as hospitalist services. Specialists also include cardiac, colon, rectal, endocrine, facial plastic, general, liver, pancreatic, oncologic, neuro, and thoracic surgeons.
About Care Connect Northwest, LLC
Care Connect Northwest, LLC is a for-profit corporation, incorporated in the State of Oregon in 2014, serving as an organization of primary care and specialty physicians who focus on improving the delivery of care through collaboration and building common initiatives to improve quality and efficiency.
Care Connect Northwest includes primary care and specialties such as obstetrics, gynecology, nephrology, pediatrics, cardiology, neurology, rheumatology, ophthalmology, dermatology and oncology, as well as hospitalist services. Specialists also include cardiac, colon, rectal, endocrine, facial plastic, general, liver, pancreatic, oncologic, neuro, and thoracic surgeons.
