May
California Association of Physician Groups
I am at the CAPG meeting for the next two days representing the Centre for Healthcare. most of our Board and management are attending together. I decided to blog some thoughts about my time here.
First of all, CAPG is an affiliation of medical groups in California who practice in whole or in part within the delegated model, or the coordinated care model. Therefore our purpose is to discuss the success of the delegated model of healthcare delivery, to learn more about what is working n the business of medicine in CA and to network with other Drs and healthcare executives.
Don Crane is the President and CEO of CAPG and he began with opening introductions and that the state of CAPG is good. He did speak about three areas of conflict.
1) Advancing for positive change in CA healthcare system. advocates for an old school system are more organized and louder than we are, but CAPG stands for cordinated care
2) Expanding availability of the coordinated model; there is a battle in process. Forces are against us who are against our version of quality coordinated care. Pushing by physicians who drag HMO’s down and others who push for HSA or Discounted FFS (programs for insurance other than this model, but in competition with it).
3) Demonstrably improve the success of our groups. How do we demonstrate this success and the value our model provides. What metrics can we use to demonstrate what we know is true.
Herein is the key. The coordinated model, often associated with HMO’s is what CAPG exists to support. A confluence of Doctors, Healthplans Medical Groups and IPA’s. Many of us believe that this model is the driver of quality in healthcare, as well as the most potent force for cost reductions.
My thoughts are that we need to maintain a diverse system, not a one size fits all system, and that choice will drive quality improvement. I will write more on individual sessions and my thoughts on the state of Healthcare later.
