Houston, Rural South
Central Texas Physician-Led Groups Ink Deals
April 27, 2015
TMA PracticeEdge, LLC, is pleased to announce service agreements with Houston
Regional Accountable Care Organization, LLC, and Alliance ACO, LLC, in rural,
south central Texas. TMA PracticeEdge anticipates these physician-led accountable
care organizations (ACOs) will initially represent 50-plus physicians providing
care and managing the population health for more than 12,000 patients.
TMA
PracticeEdge is a new services company developed by the Texas Medical
Association (TMA) to bring physicians the technology and expertise they need to
take advantage of new health care payment models. TMA PracticeEdge will provide
Texas physicians real options to design their own future. Working with
strategic partners, TMA PracticeEdge offers physicians a unique tool kit of ACO
services backed by the trusted TMA brand.
“We commend
the physicians of Houston Regional and Alliance ACOs for partnering with TMA
PracticeEdge to grow and strengthen physician-driven health care in their
communities,” said Lou Goodman, CEO of TMA PracticeEdge. Texas is an emerging
national leader in the expansion of value-based care models, he said, and
physician-led ACOs, taking the initiative, can use the tools offered by TMA
PracticeEdge to grow and remain independent.
“We have been
exploring our options for the transition to value-based care models,” said
Charles Stiernberg, MD, COO of Hillcroft Medical Clinic Association, the
Sugar Land, Texas-based medical practice that is launching Houston Regional ACO.
“TMA PracticeEdge is a great fit for our organization,” he added, stating the
company has the expertise and resources to launch an ACO and support the
transition to risk-bearing, value-based care contracts.
“We are
actively seeking to grow our ACO with additional physicians, and our
partnership with TMA PracticeEdge is a strategic advantage,” Dr. Stiernberg
added.
Strengthening
rural Texas communities with physician-led health care is an important goal of
TMA PracticeEdge. By deploying its resources to help Alliance ACO form a
Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO for January 2016, TMA PracticeEdge
demonstrates its commitment to rural-based, physician-led health care in Texas.
Jorge
Duchicela, MD, is a family physician in Weimar, Texas, and a member of Alliance
ACO Board. “TMA PracticeEdge brings our organization valuable expertise and
resources for educating and recruiting additional, like-minded physicians to
this opportunity,” Dr. Duchicela said. “It is great to have a trusted partner
as we enter into a new business model in which we don’t have direct experience.”
About
TMA PracticeEdge
TMA PracticeEdge
helps physicians lead health care innovation in today’s evolving marketplace.
The company, launched by the Texas Medical Association and Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Texas, offers participating physicians several services, including:
Accountable care services: TMA PracticeEdge offers the technology platforms, care
coordination teams, physician-led network development and management, and
contracting expertise necessary to participate in accountable care activities, and
to meet market demands to document quality, cost-effective health care.
Practice transformation services: Physicians can optimize their practices operationally and
financially by using TMA PracticeEdge services, including education and
consulting from certified professional coders, medical auditors, and compliance
officers.
Physicians and office
managers who are interested in learning more about TMA PracticeEdge should
visit www.TMAPracticeEdge.com, email info@TMAPracticeEdge.com, or call (888)
900-0334.
About Alliance ACO
Alliance ACO is a physician-led accountable
care organization comprising primary care physicians in south central Texas, including
Colorado, Dewitt, Fayette, Guadalupe, Gonzales, and Lavaca counties. Alliance
ACO’s goal is to enroll in the 2016 Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) and to
apply for a special “advanced payment” program designed by the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services for rural providers. Physicians interested in participating
should contact Jorge Duchicela, MD, at (979) 561-6319, or email
jduchicela@ydclinic.com.
About
Houston Regional Accountable Care Organization
Houston Regional Accountable Care
Organization is an ACO wholly owned, governed, and managed by independent
physicians. Its primary goal is to create mechanisms whereby private practicing
physicians in the Houston area can participate in value-based contracting and
thereby continue to deliver high-quality, cost-effective health care to their
patients well into the future. With an ever-increasing array of ACOs, the
Houston Regional ACO gives its physician-members the control they need to make
the best decisions for their patients and to always be strong advocates for
their patients. To learn
more about this unique ACO, contact Charlie Stiernberg, MD, at (713) 204-1205,
or email Cstiernberg@HoustonRegionalACO.com.
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TMA Media Contacts:
Steve
Levine, Office (512) 370-1380, Cell (512) 750-0971, steve.levine@texmed.org
Brent
Annear, Office (512) 370-1381, Cell (512) 656-7320, brent.annear@texmed.org
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