Dallas-Area Employers and Local Providers Teaming up with Mercer to Provide Advanced Health Care

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Village Health Partners and HealthTexas Provider Network have collaborated with local consulting firm Mercer on behalf of employers to successfully launch a unique, high-quality primary care model catering to individuals with complex health conditions.

This advanced care program is called CareConnect.Unlike traditional patient-centered medical homes emerging throughout the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, this primary care model matches a very select group of high-performing physicians with chronically ill patients who require salient caring intensive, tailored care.

CareConnect is being used by one national employer with large numbers of employees in Dallas and will be made available to other employers in the Dallas market. The initiative is based on successful programs piloted in other parts of the US, results of which were published by Mercer physician adviser Arnold Milstein, MD, in the policy journal Health Affairs blog (http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2009/10/20/are-higher-value-care-models-replicable/#more-2518).First-year results were dramatic, with a 20% reduction in cost (net of plan expenses), 15% or greater improvements in physical and mental functioning, and a 45% reduction in absenteeism.

The return on investment is remarkable considering that while studies of other, more traditional patient-centered medical homes have also shown gains in quality, savings results have been mixed, said Mercers Eric Bassett, senior partner based in Dallas. This advanced-care approach is extremely promising as a way to improve quality of care, health care status and costs.

What makes this model so effective is that it is driven by physicians and nurses chosen specifically for their ability to deliver better care and to work closely with patients to address their concerns in a highly caring manner. As a result, the care the patients receive through CareConnect from a select panel of primary care physicians is characterized by what has been called salient caring, said Neil Smithline, MD, a Mercer physician consultant who has been instrumental in developing the program.

This is because members of the care team the patients primary care physician and a dedicated personal care nurse who works alongside the physician are chosen because of their ability to provide not only high-quality medical care, but also because they provide the patient with extra caring.

This extra caring means being accessible to the patient through extended evening and weekend hours and virtually via online access. It means using a physician-led team of health care providers to coordinate the care of patients to achieve high-quality outcomes at reasonable costs, added Christopher Crow MD, founder of Village Health Partners.

Major employers are seeking newer and better approaches to caring for their employees with complex or multiple health conditions. Mercer worked with the employer with a large presence in the Dallas area to identify its employees with chronic health conditions. The CareConnect providers Village Health Partners and the HealthTexas Provider Network (HTPN) approached this group of employees to participate in the program, and roughly 40 percent have agreed to do so. Employees must change primary care physicians in some cases, but the primary care physician fee may be waived as one incentive to participation.

CareConnect also dramatically changes physician compensation.Physicians are rewarded for excellent results and for spending additional time with their patients. They are paid an additional fee for the extra care coordination required. They also have the opportunity to receive additional compensation for demonstrated improvement in patient health outcomes.