DETROIT, April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Michigan Pioneer ACO in affiliation with the Detroit Medical Center has a remedy for patients living with chronic illnesses – Personalized Care at Home. This innovative program provides physicians a way to enhance care for patients between appointments and after hospitalizations. Patients enrolled in this program work with a case manager from Personalized Care at Home, in collaboration with their primary care physician, to manage their illness, including their symptoms, medications, and the accompanying concerns. The care is personalized, ongoing throughout the course of the illness, and is designed to empower and guide patients as they manage their illness from home.

Imagine being a regular at the emergency room of your local hospital. Many individuals with chronic illnesses rely on the ER when they have a change in symptoms, escalating pain, and other concerns. Without ongoing assistance in the management of a chronic illness, fear and confusion about medication or symptoms often drives individuals into an undesired cycle of emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Personalized Care at Home offers day-to-day support to reduce reliance on extraordinary measures that often impact quality of life.

The Michigan Pioneer ACO, and its physicians, are implementing this program as one step in their plans to meet new standards set forth by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA challenges health care providers to meet quality measures set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), while also reducing costs.

The DMC aligned with CMS' new directives, competing for, and receiving, designation as a Michigan Pioneer Accountable Care Organization.  It is one of thirty-two leading health care organizations from across the country named Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), and one of three health systems in Michigan. ACOs will share in cost savings they achieve for the Medicare program. 

INNOVATIVE COLLABORATION BETWEEN TWO ESTABLISHED PROVIDERS
To ensure a quick start up of this innovative program, the Michigan Pioneer ACO is collaborating with Detroit-based @HOMe Support, a subsidiary of Hospice of Michigan. @HOMe Support is an innovator in the development of a care model for chronically ill patients, and also is an experienced provider of care to patients with chronic disease.

By collaborating with @HOMe Support™, the Michigan Pioneer ACO is able to meet one of the first goals of CMS for these programs – "to rapidly demonstrate what can be achieved when highly coordinated care is provided to Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries."  @HOMe Support™ has more than 10 years of experience providing supportive care to patients living with chronic illnesses. In addition, it has highly trained staff, infrastructure, and processes in place, and a turn-key operation for immediate implementation.

As the Michigan Pioneer ACO's strategic partner, @HOMe Support's™ parent company, Hospice of Michigan, offered the benefits of being a Michigan-based company with headquarters across the street from the DMC, more than 30 years of experience serving Detroit and surrounding communities, and a reputation for innovation and quality.

"We are excited to offer our patients a new program to help them better manage their illnesses day-to-day, and to enhance the quality of their lives," said Carrie Harris-Muller, Michigan Pioneer ACO President.  "The healthcare trends will force every health care provider to innovate. We must provide individuals more comprehensive tools and skills to manage their health, and we have to do it at a lower cost.  This new program, Personalized Care at Home, provides an exciting new way to help and empower the patients we serve."

ABOUT PERSONALIZED CARE AT HOME
Personalized Care at Home is a supportive care program of the Michigan Pioneer ACO in Affiliation with the Detroit Medical Center.  It provides an increased level of support to patients with chronic illnesses. The Personalized Care at Home program offers personalized care plans created with the patient and caregiver, and with the oversight of the patient's primary physician. This collaborative effort is designed to ensure patients receive support, education and information to successfully manage chronic illness, improve quality of life, and reduce the need for hospitalization and emergency room visits. 

ABOUT @HOMe Support™
Established in 2000 to provide supportive care for patients living with chronic illnesses, improve their quality of life, and reduce the burden on caregivers, @HOMe Support™ is a breakthrough model of care that has proven to enhance quality while reducing overall medical costs.  A recent research study demonstrated that the medical costs of caring for patients on this model were more than 30% lower than those not enrolled in the model. The @HOMe Support™ Program was able to cut patient costs more than $3,400 a month, mostly by reducing emergency department visits and unnecessary hospitalizations.

ABOUT THE DETROIT MEDICAL CENTER
The Detroit Medical Center includes DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan, DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital, DMC Harper University Hospital, DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, DMC Hutzel Women's Hospital, DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital, DMC Surgery Hospital, and DMC Cardiovascular Institute. The Detroit Medical Center is a leading regional healthcare system with a mission of excellence in clinical care, research and medical education.

SOURCE Hospice of Michigan