Kathleen M. Griffin, PhD

HDG Consultant Kathleen Griffin, PhD lent her expertise on accountable care organizations (ACOs) for a recent article in Senior Living Business.  The piece, which includes a case study, offers a great synopsis about ACOs: what they are, who can participate and how they work. Here’s an excerpt:

“We’ll begin to see a much more robust focus on good primary care throughout long-term care and assisted living facilities,” said Griffin, “because ACOs won’t want to see rehospitalizations or worsening of a condition that causes an ER visit.” As a result, more accountability will be expected from front-line staff—the nursing staff in the long-term care facility and the universal-care workers in an assisted living facility—and more attention will be paid to daily patient observations and reports.

You can read the feature, Health Care Reform: Understanding ACOs at levinassociates.com.