Press Ganey And AMGA Launch Industry's First Patient Experience Improvement Tool For Accountable Care Organizations

SOUTH BEND, Ind. and ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Press Ganey Associates, Inc. and the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) today launched the health care industry's first survey designed to help accountable care organizations (ACOs) and other types of high-performing health systems identify opportunities for improving both efficiency and quality. The tool, called the Press Ganey-AMGA Coordinated Care Solution, assesses a patient's entire episode of care and enables better management of population health to create positive patient outcomes and maximize shared savings.

The Coordinated Care Solution was built to fill critical information gaps identified by members of the AMGA ACO Collaborative and provides in-depth analysis unmatched by event-based surveys. Those concepts not captured by event-based surveying include effective use of care team members, provider engagement and the patient's assessment of their own level of engagement, loyalty and compliance.

"With more than five million lives now covered by ACOs, the success of these organizations and other integrated delivery models is vital to fulfilling the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's 'triple aim' and transitioning from a volume-based system to one that is value-based," said Patrick T. Ryan, CEO of Press Ganey. "A key component of that success is having the right tools to help providers strive for seamless coordination of care by understanding the viewpoint and behaviors of the patient who is interacting with different providers. The input of AMGA members – and their participation in the pilot -- was invaluable in developing a ground-breaking survey to meet this need."

"AMGA members are on the vanguard of delivering high-quality and high-value care. So we wanted to be at the forefront of developing an innovative survey to capture the critical component of patient engagement which is essential to successfully operate in an accountable care environment, especially under the various Medicare ACO programs," said Donald W. Fisher, Ph.D., CAE, president and chief executive officer of AMGA. "We're proud to have partnered with Press Ganey to bring this new solution to market. It is an essential step in helping our members as they seek to transform themselves into high-performing health systems and ACOs." 

One of the participants in the Coordinated Care Solution pilot was Geisinger Health System, an organization known for its advanced patient-centered medical home called ProvenHealth Navigator, a collaborative effort between Geisinger Clinic and Geisinger Health Plan (GHP), the not-for-profit health insurance component of the health system.

"We believe that our physicians 'own' our patients, no matter where they are -- at home, in the hospital, or in a nursing home," said Tom Graf, MD, Geisinger's associate chief medical officer. "Taking a holistic approach to care meant changing our relationship with our patients. As a pioneer in coordinated care, we recognized the need for a more comprehensive tool to support this new relationship by collecting important information that was previously unavailable – information on what our patients thought we were doing right and what we could improve as they moved from one type of provider to another during their treatment."

For more information on the Press Ganey-AMGA Coordinated Care Solution, visit http://www.pressganey.com/CoordinatedCareSolution.

Press Ganey Associates, Inc.
Recognized as a leader in health care performance improvement for more than 25 years, Press Ganey partners with more than 10,000 organizations worldwide to create and sustain high performing organizations, and, ultimately, improve the overall health care experience. Press Ganey offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions to help clients operate efficiently, improve quality, increase market share and optimize reimbursement. The company works with clients from across the continuum of care – hospitals, medical practices, home care agencies and other providers – including 50 percent of all U.S. hospitals. For more information, visit www.pressganey.com.

American Medical Group Association
The American Medical Group Association represents medical groups, including some of the nation's largest, most prestigious medical practices, independent practice associations, and integrated healthcare delivery systems. AMGA's mission is to improve health care for patients by supporting multispecialty medical groups and other organized systems of care. The members of AMGA deliver health care to approximately 130 million patients in 49 states, more than one in three Americans. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, AMGA is the strategic partner for medical groups, providing a comprehensive package of benefits, including political advocacy, educational and networking programs and publications, benchmarking data services, and financial and operations assistance. www.amga.org

SOURCE Press Ganey Associates, Inc.; American Medical Group Association