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Sept. 18 Webinar: Could Massachusetts Alternative Quality Contract Work Elsewhere?

(September 12, 2012)

Washington, DC (PRWEB) September 12, 2012

Atlantic Information Services is pleased to announce its Sept. 18 webinar, Health Plan Strategies for Global Payments: Can Massachusetts Alternative Quality Contract Work Elsewhere?, a discussion of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts AQC and how the insurance marketplace can adapt if and when global payment systems are adopted in other regions.

The Aug. 6 enactment of a new health care cost-control law in Massachusetts, the second phase of the states groundbreaking 2006 health reform law, was triggered partly by the success of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts AQC with providers.

Early results have been favorable. For instance, patients in Massachusetts whose primary care physician participated in the AQC had 2.8% lower average medical costs compared with patients whose providers were not part of the AQC, according to a study in the August 2012 issue of Health Affairs. Even more striking was that the savings increased in the second year of the study period compared with the first. In addition, quality of care improved in the AQC group compared with the control group, and the quality level also rose more in year two compared with year one.

But there are considerable challenges and roadblocks to making such a payment model work for other insurers and in other states. The model that Massachusetts provided the country for health reforms first phase may carry over for this phase-two effort to control health care spending, but many questions need answering first. In 60 minutes of expert presentations followed by 30 minutes devoted to your individual questions, Bill TenHoor, president of TenHoor & Associates, and Philip Gaziano, M.D., chairman and CEO of Massachusetts-based Accountable Care Associates (ACA), will address the following:

What are the origins of the AQC in Massachusetts? And what may lie ahead for this marketplace?
How does the AQC work? What are the details of the contract model?
Are the lessons from the AQC transferable to other states and other markets? What are the challenges inherent for states and/or the federal government looking to replicate the Massachusetts model?
How well is the AQC likely to work over the long term? What tweaks may be needed along the way?
What does the AQC mean for health insurers and brokers? What risks and rewards will come from the AQC? Who will benefit and who will lose out? What will providers be seeking in such contracts and how generous will payments have to be to attract participation?

Visit http://aishealth.com/marketplace/c2m31_091812 for more details on Health Plan Strategies for Global Payments: Can Massachusetts Alternative Quality Contract Work Elsewhere? and registration information.

About AIS
Atlantic Information Services, Inc. (AIS) is a publishing and information company that has been serving the health care industry for more than 25 years. It develops highly targeted news, data and strategic information for managers in hospitals, health plans, medical group practices, pharmaceutical companies and other health care organizations. AIS products include print and electronic newsletters, websites, looseleafs, books, strategic reports, databases, webinars and conferences. Learn more at http://www.AISHealth.com.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/9/prweb9891872.htm.

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