Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance (BSWQA) has been awarded Level 2 National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) ACO (accountable care organization) accreditation. The accreditation is for a period of three years.
NCQA's ACO accreditation rates the level of preparation by ACOs to improve health care quality and efficiency while reducing costs. Level 2 Accreditation is considered a high achievement for the organization because it validates BSWQA stakeholder capacity and motivation to collaboratively and accountably improve quality, reduce costs, and coordinate patient care across the health care continuum.
NCQA's ACO standards and guidelines (built from its successful patient-centered medical home recognition program) incorporate whole-person care coordination throughout the health care system. There are two major components of ACO accreditation that were achieved by BSWQA to earn the NCQA ACO accreditation:
1. Standards that evaluate ACO structure and processes that include:
- Availability of and patients' access to care
- Patient rights and responsibilities
- Patient-centered primary care
- Care management and coordination capabilities
- Practice patterns and performance reporting
- Program operations
2. ACO HEDIS: Evaluates an organization's capability to report performance results. The clinical quality measures are from NCQA's widely used and well-respected Healthcare Effectiveness Data Information Set (HEDIS®1) and tailored especially for ACO reporting. They cover important aspects of care such as cancer screenings, immunizations, prescription drug use and management of common chronic conditions. They align with Medicare ACO initiatives, but also address children and younger adults, as well as the elderly, so ACOs can measure performance for all patients covered by different insurers or payers.
Achieving NCQA ACO accreditation nationally recognizes BSWQA for its success in collecting, integrating, and using data to provide high quality, well-coordinated patient-centered care.
"We wish to acknowledge BSWQA's quality improvement efforts, which were evident throughout the survey process," writes Sheron Smith, MHA, NCQA director of operations for recognition programs. BSWQA's population health infrastructure – composed of patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs), care coordination and data analytics – has worked to identify improvements in quality and efficiency, positioning BSWQA among top U.S. ACOs that are driving a better care delivery system of the future.
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CONTACT:
Jean Sullivan
Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance
Phone: (469) 800-8633
eMail: Jean.sullivan@baylorhealth.edu
About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com