Published by: Sandy Laycox on 1/25/2012 1:19:13 PM
Norton Healthcare’s journey toward becoming an accountable care organization (ACO) began well before the organization developed a contract with Humana – its payer-partner – and the two were selected as a pilot site in the Brookings–Dartmouth ACO Pilot Program. As detailed in The Commonwealth Fund case study, Norton Healthcare: A Strong Payer–Provider Partnership for the Journey to Accountable Care, Norton “devoted time and investment to improving its delivery of care” before implementation of the ACO model became a reality. “Implementing the ACO is not viewed as a starting point, but rather a step in a journey Norton has taken to increase accountability to its patients.”
In an effort to show how traditional health care organizations can transition to ACOs, the case study documents Norton’s path from its existing hospital-led, risk averse system to designing an ACO that will serve roughly 7,000 Norton and Humana employees. The study details success factors including “a strong payer–provider relationship, a focus on performance measurement and reporting, an expanding health information technology infrastructure, and an integrated system that facilitates communication and collaboration across the continuum of care.” It also describes the challenges Norton has faced and lessons learned.
The study concludes that while Norton faces existing and potential challenges, “leveraging its strengths will enable Norton to advance toward achieving the triple aim of providing better care for individuals, improving the health of populations, and reducing per-capita costs.” For an organization that began more than a century ago with a faith-based mission to care for the sick and injured, this step is not a break with the past, but simply an extension of a tradition that provides the best possible care for those in need.