MDNews - Greater Boston

Signature healthcare Prepares for Coming ACO Era IF accountable care orGaniza- are the future of healthcare delivery, few are better positioned than Signature Healthcare. With the recent opening of a brand-new clinical space in Easton and the expansion and remodeling of several existing spaces, the organization is taking active steps to keep patients out of the hospital in an effort to deliver care more efficiently in a local setting. "We're trying to bring coordinated, quality care to the patient instead of patients going out of their way to find quality care," says Marie Gross, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing. "We have a goal of reducing the overall number of emergency room visits and the number of hospital admissions." To that end, Signature Healthcare has established a number of satellite locations throughout its service area. With the construction of new medical spaces in Brockton, Hanson and Easton and the expansion and renovaMarie Gross, vice President tion of of Business development existing locaand Marketing at signature healthcare Brockton hospital tions in Abington, Randolph and Raynham, the organization is able to better serve its patients closer to where they live and work. tionS 14 | Greater Boston MD News ■ mdnewS.com "The idea is to create a network of 'medical hubs,' all linked through one medical record, to provide patients with one-stop shopping. Patients who need a primary care physician, specialty services, specialty clinics, nurse practitioners and ancillary services only need to go to one location," Gross says. "This allows us to work with patients of all ages to provide coordinated ca re w it hout t hem v isiting multiple locations." In addition to keeping care local, another goal is to increase care at a preventive level. One example of this is a pilot program called the iPad Medication Management Program. Patients who are taking a particularly complex combination of medicines work with a geriatrician and a pharmacist through the iPad to annotate the various medicines they're taking and keep better track of their medications from home. "The face-to-face connection enables us to do a much better job of keeping patients healthy," Gross explains. "Without that connection, patients may not remember to take their medications on time, and they're more likely to need a higher level of health care in either a physician's office or even the emergency room. Our EHR enables us to link our patients' medical records regardless of their location of care." One side benefit of this, according to Gross, is it has made Signature Healthcare a more inviting place to work for area physicians. "We are committed to improving our services and pushing the envelope in delivery of care, and physicians find that very attractive," she says. As the medical community continues to come to terms with various elements of both local and federal healthcare reform, Signature Healthcare is prepared for a future sure to be very different from its past. For more information about Signature Healthcare, please call 508-941-7000 or visit www.mysignaturecare.org. ■ signature healthcare's new easton location

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