The Bethesda Health Quality Alliance (BHQA), recently formed as a partnership between Bethesda Health, community physicians and other healthcare providers, has been selected as one of 124 new Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in 2018, providing Medicare beneficiaries with access to high quality, coordinated care.
Physicians and other providers from across the local medical community worked together to form the Bethesda Health Quality Alliance for the purposes of transforming healthcare delivery through a quality focused, integrated approach intended to engage patients in their health choices and provide value.
“Patients, taxpayers, employers, insurers and other stakeholders have long demanded better quality and greater value out of healthcare. Our alliance can respond by providing better integration, information sharing and accountability for the cost, quality and overall experience,” said Shawn Franklin, executive director of the BHQA.
Organized as a clinically integrated network, or CIN, the Bethesda Health Quality Alliance is well positioned to adapt to the changes resulting from the anticipated wave of new regulation, consolidation and delivery system reform efforts sweeping across the industry. “We believe a full-service network, including physicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers is key to delivering on our mission of advancing the quality of healthcare in our community by delivering patient-centered, compassionate care through a culture of collaboration, transparency, integrity and innovation,” said Roger L. Kirk, president and CEO of Bethesda Health Inc.
Participation in the Medicare Shared Savings Program is an important milestone for this newly formed network. Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs are formed by physicians, hospitals and healthcare providers in order to work together to provide higher quality coordinated care to Medicare beneficiaries. “In cooperation with Medicare, our partnership fosters an environment of collaboration and accountability that aligns with our goals to provide quality, patient-centered care,” said Dr. Acey Albert, M.D., medical director of BHQA. “Our physicians and providers are profoundly committed to a healthier community for all of us.”
The Bethesda Health Quality Alliance is part of Bethesda Health Inc., and now an affiliate of Baptist Health South Florida, based in Coral Gables. Founded in 1959, Bethesda Health Inc. is a healthcare organization serving the medical needs of Palm Beach County with a mission to provide quality health services in a caring manner. With two not-for-profit hospitals, 401-bed Bethesda Hospital East and 80-bed Bethesda Hospital West, Bethesda Health is comprised of 680 physicians, 22 employed physician practices and 2,750 employees. For more information, visit www.bethesdaweb.com.
