Payer-provider collaboration in accountable care reduced use and improved quality in Maine Medicare Advantage plan.

Patient-centered, accountable care has garnered increased attention with the passage of the Affordable Care Act and new Medicare regulations. This case study examines a care model jointly developed by a provider and a payer that approximates an accountable care organization for a Medicare Advantage population. The collaboration between Aetna and NovaHealth, an independent physician association based in Portland, Maine, focused on shared data, financial incentives, and care management to improve health outcomes for approximately 750 Medicare Advantage members.

For love of the profession. Award recipients offer pathways to success.

What convictions and ambitions drive certain practice leaders--and certain organizations--to excel and inspire their practices and their peers? Recipients of MGMA and ACMPE's highest honors describe their motivations.