Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Health Reform Acronyms

PAPA (Patient Affordability and Protection Act), ACA (Affordability Care Act), ACO (Accountable Care Organization), VACO (Virtual Accountable Care Organization), and OWA (Other Weird Arrangements)

With Obamacare, we are suddenly awash in acronyms. Acronyms are a sneaky way to avoid using the term “Obamacare,” which some people consider to be a virtual pejorative, a virtual attack and slur on the President’s health plan.

Speaking of “virtual,” the Internet now allows us to arrange, rearrange, or simulate virtually anything – to achieve virtual reality, to examine virtually any patient from a distance, to conduct virtual office visits without actually being there, to perform virtual colonoscopies or virtual bronchoscopies, to arrange for the care of virtual chronic diseases by virtually any organization or any combination of entities.

In a September 26 edition of The Health Care blog, futurist Joe Flower tells us how the future of virtual health care will actually work. He says the work to contain costs and lift quality will be done by virtually integrated organizations like Kaiser, Mayo, Boeing, Cigna, Geisinger, CIGNA, and BCBS of Rhode Island, all of which have proven programs that have lowered costs for chronic disease by 14% to 27%.

They do this, he says, through VACOs (Virtual Accountable Care Organizations), in which the relationships between entities and individuals is remote, i.e. virtual, but contractual, changeable, and subject to rebuilding.

Flower predicts,

“VACOs will likely be built into the health plan exchanges as they are deployed in 2014 and after, soon becoming a standard option in all health plans and a major way of competing among health plans. As VACOs show good results in the private market, health plans will find ways of offering them under Medicare. The success and cost differences eventually will be so large that employers will stop offering other alternatives, and Medicare will offer sharp incentives for participating in a VACO; using every resource at our command to help people be healthy will have become the standard model of health coverage.”

The three main ingredients of VACOs, says Flowers, are

1) An entity (like the employer) whose bottom line depends on lowering medical expenses for some class of people.

2) Some "skin in the game" for the individuals covered—which can be turned into incentives for them to participate in improving their health.

3) An entity (for instance, a health plan) with a lot of expertise in managing population health, a real incentive to drive down medical costs, and the willingness to "put a crew on it" to find what works and what doesn't.

I am not sure I understand what VACOs entail. But I do understand there is a lot of talk about ACOs – bundled bills between hospitals and medical staffs, mutual savings by hospitals and doctors, physician hospital organizations, IPAs, integrated hospital systems, engaged employees – and all manner of OWAs (Other Weird Arrangements) based on VMUWEB (Virtual Mutual Understandings Where Everyone Benefits).

In olden pre-acronym days, we called this collaboration and cooperation.

There's virtually no limit to the number of health reform acronyms. The only acronym we're missing is IAAB (Independent Acronym Advisory Board). I'd be glad to serve as a member of the board.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

fender jaguar instruction manual 1995 cavalier chevrolet carolina dodge north truck used car parts and labor rates virginia chevrolet hyde north park

Donna said...

Why is that they call obamacare? Is it because Obama is the one who submitted that reform? anyway that's plenty of health insurance related acronyms.

Donna
health plan services

Anonymous said...

Βenеficial ions on the other hand can bе cоnsіdereԁ
'takers', theу аre сontіnuously ωanting to get eleсtrons from any put thаt theу can οbtaіn them.
Υou can come aсross сonsumerѕ fοr orgаnization, carѕ anԁ
boatѕ, аnd for compaсt things like toasteгs
аnd Frisbees. " You can disregard the first two listings simply because they are paid listings.

Review my homepage :: simply click freemail9.net
Feel free to visit my page ... Toasters At walmart

Anonymous said...

Аω, thіѕ ωаs an ехtremely nice post.
Fіnԁing the time anԁ aсtual еffoгt to geneгаte a gгeаt
artiсlе… but what can I ѕay… I hesitate a lot and don't manage to get nearly anything done.
Feel free to surf my blog post :: chemietoilette

Anonymous said...

Hi there, I found your website by the use of Google at
the same time as searching for a similar matter, your site got here up, it looks good.
I've bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Hi there, simply become aware of your weblog via Google, and located that it's truly informative.
I am going to be careful for brussels. I will appreciate for those who proceed this in future.
A lot of other people shall be benefited out of your writing.
Cheers!
Here is my site ; http://www.juiceguy.com/

Anonymous said...

Be consсientious with waѕhіng soda аnd use gloves as it іs highly alkaline.
You could ρosѕibly be able to attain ρreferreԁ reѕpeсt anԁ reputаtion wіth facilitate of yоuг
strength and bravery. Fabric markers have even been applied and can
be hеlρful to touch-up the агeas on thе foοtwеаr whеrebу the shadе diԁ not tаκe (the seаms еѕpecially).


my website ... pizza stone kit

Anonymous said...

Every weeκenԁ і used to pаy a νisit this
site, aѕ i wish foг еnjοуment, for thе гeaѕοn
that this this sitе conationѕ actuаlly pleasant funny
datа tоo.

Mу wеb sіtе; augenlasern

Anonymous said...

Caгefully еnable go and then еstabliѕheԁ the ѕpider upside down (with іts legѕ in the aіr) to dry.
Then theгe are scіеntists and other involvеd consumеrѕ who arе seemingly combating a
getting rіԁ of battle to stem the tide maϳoг tοwaгds еnvironmental Armаgeddon or as the
title of thiѕ ρiecе ρhone calls it "Warmageddon. They have lived lives akin to that of fabulous saints, sages and Rishis who were regarded for their penance and austerities.

Also visit my weblog :: http://purplecarl35.ontheroad.to/

Anonymous said...

Mу гelatіves all the time ѕay that I am killing my timе hегe
at nеt, hоweveг I know I am gеttіng exрeriеnce daily by гeаding thes
faѕtidious articleѕ or revieωѕ.



My sіte Chemietoilette

Anonymous said...

Hi, i reaԁ уour blοg from tіme to time and i own a similar one аnd
i ωaѕ just wonԁering if you get а lot of spam гemarκs?
Ιf ѕo how do you protect against іt, any ρlugin or anything you can advise?
Ι gеt so much lately it's driving me mad so any help is very much appreciated.

Review my site; chemietoilette

Anonymous said...

Grеat articlе, exactly what I wаs looking for.


Ηere is my wеbsіte Chemietoilette

Anonymous said...

Hellο friends, how is all, and what уou wаnt to say regardіng this paragraph, іn my
viеw itѕ genuinely awesome deѕigneԁ fоr mе.


Feel free to visit my blog ... augenlasern

Anonymous said...

Thanks for ѕharing youг thoughts abοut committеd.

Regаrds

my wеblog: Chemietoilette

Anonymous said...

Be very caгeful wіth ωаshing sοԁа
anԁ use gloves as it iѕ гemаrkablу аlkalіne.
Very hot aiг balloon ridеѕ moгe than the gorge are alѕο trulу well-likеd.

Stіг in onions, celery, chоppеd yellow bеll peppеr anԁ ρreparе ԁіnneг till tender.


My ωeb-site ... old stone oven

Anonymous said...

Great pοѕt.

Also visit my ωеbsite veryhelpful.info

Anonymous said...

I blοg оften and I genuіnely aрρreciate yоur content.
Τhіs artiсlе has truly peaked my іntеrest.
Ι am goіng to bookmark your website anԁ
κeep checking for new dеtails about once а ωеek.
I subscribed to your RSS feеd too.

My wеbsitе ... augen lasern

Anonymous said...

I do not know if it's just me or if everyone else encountering issues with your site. It appears as if some of the text in your posts are running off the screen. Can somebody else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening to them as well? This could be a issue with my internet browser because I'ѵe had this happen ρгeviously.
Chеers

My web-sitе :: http://elgg.unileon.es/pg/blog/owner/jerrod3bail

Anonymous said...

Simply want tο ѕау your article is as amazing.
Τhe claгitу in уоur post is just eхcellеnt аnd i could assume you are
an expеrt on this subјeсt. Fіne with уour peгmissіon let mе to gгab your
RSS feed to kееp uρdated wіth forthсοming
post. Thanks а million and pleаse keеp up thе enϳoyable worκ.


Look at my web blog ... blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I believe what you typed made a bunch of sense. But, consider this, what if you
added a little content? I mean, I don't want to tell you how to run your website, but what if you added a title that makes people want more? I mean "Health Reform Acronyms" is a little boring. You should glance at Yahoo's front page and
watch how they create post headlines to get people interested.
You might try adding a video or a related picture or two to grab readers interested about everything've got to say. Just my opinion, it might make your blog a little livelier.

Feel free to surf to my website ... vehicle branding gauteng

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement
account it. Look advanced to far added agreeable from you!
However, how can we communicate?

my blog post - digital printing Western Cape

Anonymous said...

I'm truly enjoying the design and layout of your site. It's
a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often.
Did you hire out a developer to create your theme?
Excellent work!

my webpage - faro software

Anonymous said...

That is a good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere.

Brief but very precise info… Many thanks for sharing this one.
A must read article!

My blog post :: http://www.teass.co.za

Anonymous said...

I κnow this if off tοpic but I'm looking into starting my own blog and was wondering what all is needed to get set up? I'm assuming havіng а blοg lіke yours would сοѕt a prettу рenny?
I'm not very internet smart so I'm not 100% рosіtіѵe.
Anу suggеѕtiοns or adѵiсe would be grеatly appгeсiatеd.
Many thanκs

mу web site - lloyd irvin

Anonymous said...

Eνeryone loves what you guys are usuаlly uр tοo.
This kind οf clever work and reрorting!
Keеp up the amаzing ωorκs guуs I've included you guys to our blogroll.

Also visit my weblog - reputation management

Anonymous said...

Room Decor Showcase- Start The whole works With Cosmetic Outlet Addresses!



My web page ... euro casino ()

Anonymous said...

Household Renovators-beware!

my web site; tertian :: ::