CVS and Wexner Medical Center collaborate on ACO

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The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and CVS Accountable Care, a part of CVS Health, have announced the creation of an accountable care organization for a coordinated approach to delivering care.

The new CVS ACO is a Medicare Shared Savings Program Enhanced track ACO. CVS Accountable Care was formed last year as a result of bringing together Signify Health Value-based Care Solutions with the CVS Accountable Care Organization.

CVS Health won the competitive battle in early 2023 to acquire Signify Health, a company that leverages advanced analytics, technology and nationwide provider networks for value-based payment programs. Signify's healthcare platform shifts services towards the home, during a time when baby boomers are retiring and the demographic is shifting older. People 65 and older account for close to 17% of the population, according to the U.S. Census.

CVS Accountable Care works with 200-plus health systems and over 60,000 clinicians in value-based care contracts across the nation.

WHY THIS MATTERS

The ACO is focused on improving the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries in central Ohio who use Ohio State providers. It emphasizes preventive wellness and proactive treatment of chronic conditions.    

The CVS ACO will combine resources from both organizations for longitudinal care management to address both medical and social needs. 

The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and CVS Accountable Care clinical care teams will focus initially on supporting the transition of care for all ACO beneficiaries following a hospitalization, providing medical and social support services for beneficiaries with higher risk of hospitalization or readmission and strengthening comprehensive care management. 

Patients will benefit from increased touchpoints from a clinical-care team member, including education regarding complex medical conditions, assistance with scheduling follow-up visits and access to community resources, the health system said. 

The ACO is expected to drive down costs.

"Together, we are focused on driving high-quality outcomes, promoting health equity and bringing healthcare costs down," said Dr. Mohamed Diab, president, CVS Accountable Care.  

THE LARGER TREND

The ACO expands the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center's ACO work. 

"As we prepare for the nationwide shift to having all Medicare beneficiaries in accountable care relationships by 2030, this collaboration with CVS Accountable Care is a natural progression of Ohio State's work in this space that builds on our commitment to provide the very best care to every patient, every time," said Dr. John J. Warner, CEO of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and executive vice president at Ohio State.

The medical center is comprised of the College of Medicine and its School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, the Office of Health Sciences, including OSU Faculty Group Practice, and various research centers, programs and institutes; the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute; and the Ohio State Health System, which includes University Hospital, East Hospital, Ohio State Harding Hospital, the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital, Dodd Rehabilitation Hospital, the Ohio State Brain and Spine Hospital, the Ohio State Primary Care Network, Outpatient Care multispecialty outpatient facilities, urgent care, advanced urgent care and same-day care locations.

Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org