Austin, Texas — 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 Sugarland, 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.
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.
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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