Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/620826
" The Ohio Independent Collaborative offers a great opportunity across the state … to change the dynamics of healthcare in a dramatic fashion." ROBERT KENT, DO, CHAIR OF THE OHIO INDEPENDENT COLLABORATIVE it to improve population hea lth, establish qua lity metrics and identify cost saving measures. " We've already started working with our software vendor to focus on projects that will a llow us to improve both the delivery and quality of patient care," says Dr. Hohman. " With all members using the same EHR, data mining becomes a real possibility, giving us the ability to identify ways to lower costs and increase savings — for patients and physicians a like." For example, data mining will be used to identify individual patients who ma ke frequent trips to hospita l emergency departments for conditions which could be resolved more appropriately a nd more cost-ežectively in their prima r y care physician's o³ce. "Maybe these patients just need ex tra ca re from their PCP to stay out of the ER ," says Dr. Pinta. "So we'll be able to use data better together as a collaborative than we could individua lly, to identify those patients and best practices in other situations. And from that standpoint, I believe qua lity will improve." Data mining will a lso be used to identif y best business practices, for example, in group members' ca ll centers and billing departments. " What we're bringing to the table to develop are the best methods and ideas of doctors from across the state, and then using these as resources to help each other," Dr. Kent explains. "For example, we're sharing data on how to best take care of patients from the time they call for an appointment to the time they 're in our o³ce for an exam to the time they go to rehab. And I think the impact on outcomes will be remarkable." REDUCING COSTS, INCREASING REVENUES The oppor tunity to pa r ticipate in group purchasing is one of the economic benefits of joining the OIC. Currently, negotiations are underway with suppliers of medical and o³ce equipment and supplies to reduce costs. An OIC subcommittee is also considering a captive medical malpractice insurance company to reduce insurance premiums. And soon, the OIC will announce an exclusive Medicare shared savings contract with a large nationa l insurer. " The Medica re contract is somet hing t hat cou ld not have been accomplished by my group [Pioneer] a lone," says Dr. Pinta. Dr. Hohman can relate wholeheartedly to that. Her practice includes just one other family physician. "About si x yea rs a go, my pa r tner a nd I joined NOMS because of the e³ciencies of a larger group — e³ciencies like information technolog y, human resources and those types of administrative services — and a lso for the economies of scale," she explains. "So, going from a two-physician practice to a multi-specialty group practice, we had already seen what works. Joining the OIC makes sense on an even larger scale." PHOTO COURTESY OF OIC 1 6 1 6S P E C I A L F E A T U R E