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Updates from Dr. Whibbs
Health First Network Medical Director

March 2010

Caution: Changes are Ahead!

With the passage of the Health Care Reform Bill in the late evening of March 21, 2010, prominent questions arose about what the current structure of healthcare entities will look like in 2-3 years, and what uphill battles all Providers and Insurers, as well as our patients will face in coming years to overcome infrastructure challenges that will take time, effort, creativity, financial planning and modification for practices large and small.

The alphabet soup of healthcare expanded as the bill’s language included references to terms such as Accountable Care Organizations ( ACO’s) designed to reform the provider payment system and improve quality; quality reporting programs, PQRI, P4P, P4Q; value-based purchasing; demonstration projects for Physicians and Hospital Providers; disproportionate share reductions; managed care medical loss ratios; wellness program demonstrations; comparative effectiveness research; patient navigator services; patient centered medical homes, care coordination and prevention grants with national prevention and wellness councils. The bill is deafeningly quiet on any liability reform.

In the coming weeks and months, Health First Network, as your local Independent Physician Association, will be looking carefully at the issues and I will be providing information to you in future editions of the Health First Network e-newsletter about strategic planning and information you need to work in the changes and adjustments that may be needed to keep up with health care reform in this revised healthcare delivery system. Looking ahead, HFNI has already been functioning as an ACO and as a patient-centered medical home, which gives us crucially important experience to deal with changes as they come.

Whibbs Signature
William J. Whibbs, M.D.

Archived Updates from Dr. Whibbs