SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center is working with area physicians to develop a Clinically Integrated Organization (CIO), a new patient care structure that will improve outcomes of care. The goal of the new model is to reduce costs, eliminate inefficiencies, and expand access to quality healthcare. Saint Mary’s plans to launch the new CIO system this fall, at which time, they will begin to contract with payers, including Medicare, to advance practices in line with 2012 healthcare reform initiatives.
Today’s healthcare system is complex and requires patients to navigate through a multitude of providers, leading to confusion and uncertainty. The new CIO model seeks to help patients gain access to quality and affordable healthcare in a simplified way. Because rising healthcare costs are a national issue, streamlining practices will allow patients to utilize more cost effective methods.
“This new opportunity will vastly change the face of healthcare in our region by allowing greater collaboration amongst physicians and providers,” said Mike Uboldi, president and CEO of Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center. “And because of this collaboration, patients will see reduced costs and simplified practices, making the entire healthcare system more efficient.”
One of the goals of the CIO is to align patients with one primary physician who will oversee all of their care. Patients will be able to rely on their physician for condition management, scheduling, and recommendations related to their condition. The new system will eliminate inefficiencies by developing a streamlined process between all providers involved in a patient’s case. Patients will no longer receive duplicate treatments or tests since all coordination will run through their primary physician.
Saint Mary’s currently partners with a number of physicians such as hospitalists, intensivists and surgicalists to integrate care within the hospital. These specialists work as the primary physician to better manage a patient’s case and provide individualized care and treatment options.
“Developing an integrated health system allows providers and physicians to take more of an active role in their patients’ treatment plans,” said Dan Ferguson, Chief Medical Officer at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center. “Under the CIO system, patients can maximize their healthcare options by receiving strategic guidance on how best to maintain optimal health, both inside and outside the hospital.”
To learn more about how physicians can join Saint Mary’s Clinically Integrated Organization, visit www.saintmarysreno.org/For_Physicians_And_Residents/For_Physicians/index.htm.
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