BACON from the MaineHealth ACO

BACON is Brief ACO News for health care providers participating in the MaineHealth Accountable Care Organization. Drs. Mike Clark and Heather Ward host. Listen for engaging guests and lively discussions about value-based care and its implications.

Statins Help Patients with Diabetes 01/07/2025

Statins Help Patients with Diabetes Endocrinologist Stephen Babirak, MD, joins Mike and Heather to discuss how statins can lower cardiovascular disease risk in patients with diabetes, vastly improving their outcomes and extending their lives. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/34759410

Reducing Readmissions One Patient at a Time 12/09/2024

Reducing Readmissions One Patient at a Time Learn how care managers from the MaineHealth ACO and St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston are collaborating to increase communication between the hospital and primary care practices to reduce 30-day readmission rates. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/34346690

Reducing Misdiagnoses 09/01/2024

Reducing Misdiagnoses MaineHealth Associate Chief Quality Officer Mark Parker, MD, joins Heather and Mike to discuss a promising care variation reduction project that uses the delivery of timely lab results as a lever to improve diagnosis accuracy. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/32794072

Helping Our Patients Age in Place 07/01/2024

Helping Our Patients Age in Place Evidence suggests that older adults age more successfully when they’re able to stay in their homes or in their home communities. In this episode of BACON, we talk to gerontologist Dr. Heidi Wierman and healthy aging advocate Jess Maurer to learn how primary care providers can help their patients age in place safely and comfortably. They discuss strategies for working with individual patients and look at ways to engage with, and support, community-based efforts to support healthy aging. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/31934792

Remarkable Benefits of HPV Vaccination 06/01/2024

Remarkable Benefits of HPV Vaccination The HPV vaccine has been proven effective in preventing cancer but our vaccination rates could be higher. MaineHealth’s Dr. Melissa Keeport and Caroline Zimmerman discuss new guidelines and the role primary care can play in improving rates. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/31536122

A Symposium Sneak Peek 05/03/2024

A Symposium Sneak Peek On May 22, the MaineHealth ACO will host the symposium in Freeport, with health policy superstar Dr. Don Berwick headlining as keynote speaker. In this BACON episode, we take a deep dive into one of the symposium’s afternoon workshops. Focused on payment bundles for specialty care, the workshop will be led by our two podcast guests, Dr. James Powers and Sue Seekins. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/31101713

A Recipe for Reducing Length of Stay 04/01/2024

A Recipe for Reducing Length of Stay In less than a year, Southern Maine Health Care reduced length of stay by thirteen percent and saved the health system nearly four million dollars. MaineHealth Southern Region Associate Chief Medical Officer Michael Albaum, MD, led the effort and shares his “recipe” for success. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/30582203

Our New CMO Kendra Emery, DO 03/01/2024

Our New CMO Kendra Emery, DO Dr. Kendra Emery, the ACO’s Chief Medical Officer, providers her insights and plans for the organization and shares how her vision aligns with ACO priorities. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/30194268

Palliative Care Insights from Becca Hutchinson 02/01/2024

Palliative Care Insights from Becca Hutchinson MaineHealth Medical Group Senior Director for Palliative Care Becca Hutchinson, MD, provides her unique and inspiring perspective on the role of palliative care in medicine today. Dr. Hutchinson recently helped to establish a stand-alone palliative care outpatient practice in Scarborough and is a leading advocate for increasing access to palliative care in northern New England. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/29697623

Natisa Dill on Patient Safety & Care Variation 01/02/2024

Natisa Dill on Patient Safety & Care Variation Unwarranted care variation is often discussed in terms of its impact on cost. But there’s another dimension to care variation that is perhaps more important: its impact on patient safety. In this episode, MaineHealth Medical Group’s VP for Quality and Safety, Natisa Dill, discusses variation’s profound impact on safety and steps to mitigate it. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/29271158

Memorial Hospital Improves Primary Care Access 12/01/2023

Memorial Hospital Improves Primary Care Access One of our most popular episodes of the last year featured an interview with Memorial’s Matt Dunn, DO, discussing his primary care team’s success in increasing patient access. We replay that interview this month, as access remains both a challenge and a priority. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/28878043

MHACO's Care Variation Reduction Strategies 11/03/2023

MHACO's Care Variation Reduction Strategies The reduction of unwarranted care variation has the potential to improve quality while reducing cost of care, which aligns perfectly with the principles of value-based care championed by the ACO. Join us as we explore MHACO’s dedicated focus on end-of-life care and transitions of care in our conversation with Carl DeMars, MD, chair of the MHACO board and VP for physician and APP services for MaineHealth’s Coastal Region. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/28511306

The Latest MIPS & MSSP Results 10/01/2023

The Latest MIPS & MSSP Results The ACO’s Emily Levi reports MIPS and MSSP results for our participants and the financial implications. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/28181642

Introducing Our New Annual Report 09/01/2023

Introducing Our New Annual Report MHACO’s President Jen Moore introduces ours recently released 2022 Annual Report, highightig how ACO participants improved quality, reduced over-utilization, and generated substantial value-based care revenue through collaborative efforts among providers, care teams, administrators, and payer partners. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/27917175

Exploring Physical Literacy 08/01/2023

Exploring Physical Literacy Pediatric sports medicine physicians Michele LaBotz, MD, and Sarah Hoffman, DO, join us to introduce the concept of physical literacy and share resources that primary care providers can use to assess and improve the physical literacy of their pediatric patients. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/27594882

Uncovering the Mysteries of HCCs 07/01/2023

Uncovering the Mysteries of HCCs In the world of value-based care, there’s one set of diagnosis codes that carry much greater weight than all the rest: HCCs. What are HCCs and why are they so important? Scott Williams, MD, joins Heather and Mike with the answers. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/27314052

Health Equity and Cultural Competence 06/01/2023

Health Equity and Cultural Competence Ryan Polly, MaineHealth’s VP for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, joins Heather to explore aspects of health equity and the results of a cross-cultural competency assessment completed by hundreds of MaineHealth providers. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/26989443

Reducing Unwarranted Care Variation 05/01/2023

Reducing Unwarranted Care Variation Reducing care variation is a strategic goal for both the MaineHealth ACO and the MaineHealth system during FY24 and beyond. The ACO’s chief operating officer, Shannon Banks, joins us to introduce initiatives that the ACO board has approved for addressing unwarranted variation in end-of-life care and transitions of care. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/26665029

Seeking Gender Equity in Healthcare Leadership 04/06/2023

Seeking Gender Equity in Healthcare Leadership Although the healthcare workforce is overwhelmingly female, women are underrepresented in leadership roles. This month, Mike and Heather discuss this phenomenon with Gayle Capozzalo of the Equity Collaborative. A former executive at Yale New Haven Health, Gayle provides insights into the cause of the disparity and offers a leadership pathway for women. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/26467335

Yes, We Can Improve Primary Care Access 03/01/2023

Yes, We Can Improve Primary Care Access MaineHealth Regional CMO for the Western Region Matt Dunn, DO, shares how Memorial Hospital dramatically increased access to primary care over the last several years, improving both patient and provider satisfaction in the process. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/26092050

Confronting Concerns About Medicare Advantage 01/17/2023

Confronting Concerns About Medicare Advantage Recent news coverage has revealed abuses of the Medicare Advantage program and caused some providers to express concerns about participating in it. In this extended episode, LincolnHealth’s Tim Goltz, MD, joins us to discuss the ethics of the ACO’s and MaineHealth’s approach to the program and the sometimes difficult path toward realizing the promise of value-based care. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/25632336

Exciting Changes to the Quality Heat Map 12/01/2022

Exciting Changes to the Quality Heat Map The ACO’s Laura Larssen joins Heather and Mike to discuss measures that have just been added to the MHACO Quality Heat Map, including a first-ever health disparity measure. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/25189704

Provider Wellness & Great ACO Performance 11/01/2022

Provider Wellness & Great ACO Performance MaineHealth ACO President Jennifer Moore shares the latest quality and financial results from the ACO’s participation in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Plus, the MaineHealth Medical Group’s new chief wellness officer, Christine Hein, MD, on current and future efforts to address provider wellness and burnout. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/24866718

Funding Innovation with Shared Savings 10/01/2022

Funding Innovation with Shared Savings MHACO Chief Medical Officer Rob Chamberlin, MD, announces the innovation projects that the ACO is funding this year through a special allocation of shared savings. Also, we meet Heather Ward, MD, BACON’s new co-host! /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/24535461

Community Health Workers & a Fond Farewell 09/01/2022

Community Health Workers & a Fond Farewell Marin Johnson, Dr. Katie Sharp and Dr. Renee Wolf join us to discuss the role community health workers are playing in preventive medicine. Also, co-host Julie Grosvenor, MD, reflects on the role of the ACO and the podcast as she prepares to leave the show. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/24228858

New AWV Tools & Childhood Obesity Prevention 08/01/2022

New AWV Tools & Childhood Obesity Prevention Rob Chamberlin, MD, the CMO of the MaineHealth ACO, introduces new tools available to MaineHealth providers and practices to help plan and complete Medicare annual wellness visits. Plus, Carrie Gordon, MD, updates us on the Let’s Go childhood obesity prevention program. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/23891151

MA Star Ratings & Precise Documentation 07/01/2022

MA Star Ratings & Precise Documentation As the ACO prepares to enter into two-sided risk contracts with Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, we bring you two relevant interviews from previous episodes. The first features the ACO’s Lauren Purcell on the intricacies of MA plan star ratings; the second features Brett Loffredo, MD on improving the precision of clinical documentation. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/23590100

Annual Synchronized Prescribing & LGBTQ Care 06/08/2022

Annual Synchronized Prescribing & LGBTQ Care MMP's Caitlin Costigan on using annual synchronized prescribing to improve med adherence; Plus, tips on caring for transgender youth and LGBTQ+ patients. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/23364659

MHACO Annual Report & Access to Care 05/02/2022

MHACO Annual Report & Access to Care MaineHealth ACO President Jen Moore provides highlights from the organization’s recently released annual report, showing strong performance in 2021. Plus, Carol Zechman, Kimberly Beaudoin and Kate Herrick join Julie and Mike to celebrate 20 years of MaineHealth Access to Care’s service to Maine’s most vulnerable populations. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/22983359

Coding Tips & Medical Education 04/01/2022

Coding Tips & Medical Education Primary care provider Samuel Ferguson, DO, discusses the importance of accurate HCC coding and shares some tips for making improvements. Robert Bing You, MD, and Leah Mallory, MD, introduce Maine Medical Center’s Department of Medical Education, which offers innovative training to providers inside and outside the MaineHealth system. /episode/index/show/mhaco/id/22638080

BACON from the MaineHealth ACO

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