Sharp To Take Part in Medicare Initiative

San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare will take part in an initiative designed to improve coordination of care between Medicare patients and their doctors, it was announced Monday.

Sharp was selected for the Pioneer Accountable Care Organization model, an initiative sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center. Officials with the center, created by the Affordable Care Act, believe the new method of treating patients could save money for health care providers.

The Pioneer ACO model will help Sharp provide coordinated care to patients, who will be able to avoid services that are often "fragmented" when they see several doctors, who sometimes don't have access to all of the patient's records, said Dr. Donald Balfour III, president and medical director of Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group.

Under the initiative that begins Jan. 1, hospitals, doctors and other health care providers will be accountable for quality outcomes and the overall patient experience, according to Sharp.

Health care providers were picked following a competitive bidding process that began in May. Sharp is one of 32 health care organizations selected for the initiative.

– City News Service