Medicare recipients to get more coordinated care

Federal health law program aims to bring better coordinated care to Medicare recipients

By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun

3:38 p.m. EDT, July 9, 2012

Four doctor groups across Maryland have been chosen by the federal Department of Health and Human Services for a program that aims to cut health costs and better coordinate care for Medicare recipients.

The program named 89 new groups in 40 states to become Accountable Care Organizations under the federal health care reform law. That brings the total already signed up for the voluntary program to 154, according to federal health officials.

The groups share in savings realized through the more coordinated care. Officials estimate the total savings to the federal Medicare program could be up to $940 million over four years.

There are 33 quality measures developed for the organizations related to care coordination, patient safety, preventive health services, patient experience and care for at-risk populations.

In Maryland, the doctor groups include: Accountable Care Coalition of Maryland LLC, located in Hollywood with 109 physicians; Greater Baltimore Health Alliance Physicians LLC, affiliated with Greater Baltimore Medical Center with 399 physicians; Maryland Accountable Care Organization of Eastern Shore LLC with 15 physicians; and Maryland Accountable Care Organization of Western MD LLC with 23 physicians.

Meredith.cohn@baltsun.com

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cwals99 at 8:39 AM July 10, 2012

The number one cause of financial stress on the entitlements Medicare and Medicaid is fraud and waste. Just this week I wrote about the high-level fraud in 'Kool Smiles' the Medicaid program these same two hospital groups embraced to provide dental care to the poor and working class. This program is run by a venture capitalist working for profits and providing centralized dental care in one large building in the city. That is what these same health care 'leaders' are doing with Medicare. The cost savings isn't through ending fraud or lowering the cost of XRays, all inflated prices; it is about creating unwelcoming and poor quality service. People need to shout out that we have trillions in healthcare fraud to recover before we start sending the very people who paid for all these medical advances over decades through their taxes to second-rate health care facilities.

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ABOUT THE BLOGGERS

Meredith Cohn has been a reporter since 1991, covering everything from politics and airlines to the environment and medicine. A runner since junior high and a particular eater for almost as long, she tries to keep up on health and fitness trends.

Andrea K. Walker has a fascination with fitness, diseases, medicine and other health-related topics. An exercise fanatic, she's probably tried just about every fitness activity there is. Her favorites are running, yoga and kickboxing. Andrea has been at The Sun for nearly 10 years, covering manufacturing, retail airlines, small and minority business, and now health.

Patrick Maynard specializes in database projects. He started writing about health and fitness for baltimoresun.com in 2010.