BEND, OR -- St. Charles Medical Group has partnered with the Central Oregon Independent Practice Association and six other local family care providers in a new Accountable Care Organization (ACO). The groups were created as part of the Affordable Care Act, and are designed to help patients by rewarding providers for delivering high quality care.
The goal of this new local ACO is said to ensure that Medicare patients, especially those with chronic illnesses, get the right care at the right time, without duplication of services and with fewer medical errors. St. Charles Senior VP Dr. Jim Guyn says the health care system is currently set up to reward providers based on how many services they provided, "That's the thing about 'fee for service' versus 'fee for value.' 'Fee for service,' the way it works in America is, you're paid for a specific service: you go in, and they do something, and they get paid for it. It doesn't matter what happens to you. And what we're all moving towards is 'fee for value.' So, you get paid, partially at least, based upon the outcome: did it turn out well?"
