Habersham Medical Center is aligning itself more closely with Northeast Georgia Health System. The hospital authority this week agreed to sign an agreement to participate in a “clinically integrated network” called HP2. The HP2 network is a group of insurers, hospitals and more than 480 providers from dozens of practices in Habersham County and the surrounding region who work together to coordinate patient care.
The move, hospital officials say, will help reduce the risk of medical errors, duplicate services and other factors that increase costs.
“Participating in HP2 and a relationship with Northeast Georgia Health System will give Habersham Medical Center access to select value-based contracts to improve the patient experience,” says HMC CEO Lynn Boggs. The network helps track patient care and coordination between providers in an effort to improve healthcare outcomes.
By joining HP2, HMC is eligible to apply to join the Northeast Georgia Health Partners’ Accountable Care Organization (ACO) in 2020.
The ACO is very similar to HP2, according to HMC, but it specifically focuses on improving outcomes and reducing costs for Medicare patients. The ACO and HP2 are both based on the concept of population health management. This approach to healthcare shifts the focus away from the traditional healthcare model of paying providers and hospitals based on the volume of services they provide to a system that pays them for keeping healthcare costs down and meeting quality benchmarks.
Stacy Hall, Chairperson of the HMC, states, “This is a positive step forward not only for HMC, but more so for the folks we serve. By joining the HP2 network, and subsequently Northeast Georgia Health Partner’s clinically integrated network, HMC will be able to leverage additional resources to provide better care more efficiently.”.
