A few Catholic health care organizations -- among them Genesys Physician Hospital Organization in Michigan, Franciscan Alliance in Indiana and Seton Health Alliance in Texas -- have been selected to participate in an initiative, the Pioneer Accountable Care Organization Model, which is designed to provide better care while reducing Medicare costs.
The Health and Human Services program, which begins Sunday, includes 32 health care organizations nationwide selected for their experience with patient-centered care. They will be evaluated over the next few years, according to this press release from HHS.
The ACOs "are designed to save $1 billion over five years by promoting coordination between doctors and hospitals and ensuring that people with chronic conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure get the care they need to stay out of the hospital," according to this Kaiser Health News story.
The health care model is primarily designed for seniors, according to the report.