NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Washington, D.C. (April. 20, 2018)— America’s Physician Groups (APG) and Partners in Care Foundation (Partners) announced today a new partnership that allows APG members to offer their patients new benefits encouraged in the recently-passed CHRONIC Care/ACCESS Act to address social determinants of health (SDOH). The partnership has been formed to help cement the idea that health happens at home and that to be truly effective, excellent medical care must be accompanied by excellent home and community-based services to address SDOH.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will soon release guidance for Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans about these new benefits, which may include items such as diet-compliant home-delivered meals, home visits, transportation, home modifications and other social services that can significantly improve the impact of health outcomes.
According to America’s Physician Groups President and CEO Donald Crane, “These new CMS definitions have improved the landscape for all of us and made an increased effort around social determinants of health both necessary and possible.”
Partners in Care Foundation President June Simmons added, “We are excited about this partnership, building a bridge to better outcomes between medical care and the social determinants of health.”
Both organizations feel this partnership represents a significant step forward in meeting patient care needs and is in step with the major shifts unfolding now in healthcare financing.
Said Crane, “The real winner coming out of this synergy will be the patient.”
Partners in Care Foundation collaborates with physician networks, health plans, community-based organizations, and federal and state agencies to deliver programs and services that protect and support adults with complex health and social service needs, frail older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers and families. Its programs have been demonstrated to substantially reduce costly hospital readmissions, ED visits, and nursing home placements, resulting in improved health outcomes and quality of life at lower cost through better coordinated care.
America’s Physician Groups’ members provide comprehensive healthcare through coordinated and accountable physician group practices. Its members have proven that patient-centered, coordinated, and accountable care delivers the highest quality and most efficient care for their patients. America’s Physician Groups’ members have successfully operated under this budget-responsible model for more than two decades.
“The scope and mission of both organizations is quite compatible,” said Simmons. “That’s what makes this partnership so exciting and offers such promise for providing people an entirely new level of care.”
ABOUT PARTNERS IN CARE FOUNDATION
Since 1997, Partners in Care Foundation (Partners), a nationally recognized nonprofit organization, has served communities by providing preventative support and social services to adults with complex health issues. Partners is a family of healthcare innovators collaborating with a wide array of health plans, hospitals and physician networks, community based organizations, and governmental agencies. Based in the Greater Los Angeles area, Partners is accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Partners is the largest organization of its kind in California. For more information, visit www.picf.org.
ABOUT AMERICA’S PHYSICIAN GROUPS
America’s Physician Groups is the leading association in the country representing physician organizations practicing capitated, coordinated care. Our membership currently comprises close to 300 medical groups and independent practice associations (IPAs) across 44 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit www.apg.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
America’s Physician Groups
David L. Allen
dallen@apg.org
202-770-1901
Partners in Care Foundation
Daylyn W. Presley, MS, IMC
818-837-3775 x131
dpresley@picf.org
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