"The Official Blog of the AACM"

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Payers and providers need to play together to make accountable care organizations successful

The ACO Team
By David Ruppert September 29, 2011
Payers and providers need to play together to make accountable care organizations successful.



When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and private sector payers join in support of the accountable care organization, providers can expect big changes. "Thought-leading providers are glad to see a congruent and coherent message coming from both the private and public payers," said Scott Sarran, M.D., chief medical officer at Health Care Services Corp., the parent of nonprofit Blue Cross plans in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

For full article: access here

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

PCMA: PBMs Will Save Nearly $2 Trillion in Prescription Drug Costs over the Next Decade

Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) will save consumers and payers almost $2 trillion in prescription drug costs - a 35 percent savings - over the next decade, according to new research from Visante. The research also indicates that another $550 billion could be saved if payers used the full array of savings-tools that PBMs offer. Full Article: click here

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Personal Health Records and the Nurse Informaticist

By Thomas Piotrowski The nurse informaticist can lead the way in bringing the personal health record to the forefront of care. For more than 60 years, personal health records have been used to capture, store and aggregate information on individuals' health, helping them make health care decisions and allowing them to actively manage their own health and health records. PHRs vary significantly, but some of the more typical products include information related to diagnosis, medication, immunizations, allergies, test results and other aspects of personal health. Other, more sophisticated Web-based PHRs allow for additional services that are more interactive, such as setting appointments, refilling prescriptions and making payments. Access full article