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UPMC Susquehanna’s Medical Group is named as Acclaim Award honoree

American Medical Group Association recently named UPMC Susquehanna’s medical group as a 2016 Acclaim Award honoree recipient, according to a news release from the UPMC Susquehanna.

The award recognizes outstanding achievement in the delivery of care that is safe, effective, efficient, patient-centered, timely and equitable. It is the most prestigious quality award presented by the philanthropic arm of the association.

“Since 2001, we have committed to investing in medical group development and physician leadership to enhance the system of care for our communities and region,” said Dr. David Lopatofsky, executive vice president/CMO of UPMC Susquehanna. “The award is the result of years of focus and commitment to developing and implementing programs and partnerships which directly improve the quality of care provided to those we serve. In the ever-changing world of health care, we place patients and their families first.”

According to UPMC Susquehanna, the organization embarked on a collaborative Medicare Shared-Savings Plan Accountable Care Organization, or ACO, that included another health care system, employed physician groups, and six additional physician groups. This large, collaborative effort aligned goals of medical groups and health care organizations, provided incentives for all groups to utilize agreed-upon, evidence-based medicine principles, and motivated the use of more robust information technology for monitoring patients and coordinating their care. Adopting this model resulted in a team approach to providing patients with the right service by the right providers at the right time in the right place.

“In addition to our work with the ACO, the organization’s leadership team has continued to support efforts which led to all of our medical group primary care practices becoming recognized Level 3 Patient-Centered Medical Homes,” said Lopatofsky.

Other contributions to the recognition include the development of programming, education, and partnership with regional, potentially medically underserved communities, as well as the development of a palliative care program that recently received the 2016 American Hospital Association Circle of Life Award for excellence.

“The Acclaim Award recognizes the remarkable efforts of these groups in order to share their innovations and best practices with the healthcare industry,” said Dr. Donald W. Fisher, the association’s president and chief executive officer and association board secretary. “The groups honored with this award exemplify the best quality health care in the United States, and the efforts of multispecialty medical groups and other organized systems of care to provide high performance health. Coordinated, value-based care has been the hallmark of AMGA member groups, and programs like the Acclaim Award empower these groups continue their innovative work and communicate their successes to the healthcare community to better serve their patients. It is our hope that medical groups throughout the country will learn about the work of these innovators and be inspired to implement similar programs in their medical groups.”

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