CASE STUDY: JOIN AN ACCOUNTABLE CARE ORGANIZATION

BACKGROUND: You are the Practice Administrator of Belmont

Physicians, a group of 50 primary care physicians all Board Certified
in Internal Medicine. The practice started over 30 years ago and is
now a thriving practice generating close to 60,000 visits a year. The
majority of your patients are Medicare patients. You have been with
the practice 5 years and see the impact of the changing health care
landscape and understand that to retain and also increase your
patient base you have to embrace some of the changes. However,
the practice has been slow to accept changes resisting for a long
time contracting with managed care organizations (MCO’s).

CURRENT SITUATION:
The Medical Society of the County of Queens is supporting the establishment of an Accountable
Care Organization (ACO) to be owned, comprised of, and managed by
physicians based in Queens. The Belmont Group a member of the Society has been
invited to attend a meeting to learn about ACOs and join the ACO. You learn that under the
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (ACA) , ACOs are to be established to provide a framework for
physicians and other healthcare providers to share in Medicare savings achieved by networks of
healthcare providers who work together to better coordinate care, eliminate inefficiencies, and
reduce costs. The Government is strongly encouraging physicians to participate in ACOs. The
legislation gives physicians the opportunity to shape the changes in the healthcare delivery
landscape. Rather than being forced into someone else’s ACO or being left out completely, the
Medical Society is forming their own ACO. .

ISSUE: You have evaluated the Medical Society proposal and want the Belmont Group to join
the ACO they are forming. You schedule a meeting to discuss the proposal with the physicians.

ASSIGNMENT: In one single spaced typed paper 1. identify the challenges you face and
2. referring to the Brookings article describe in detail how you would address the
challenges to bring the group around to accept your proposal to join the ACO.