Update on Health Care Reform
Update on Health Care Reform
Update on Health Care Reform
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Coordinated <strong>Care</strong>:<br />
The Right Thing to Do<br />
By Robert Margolis, M.D., Managing Partner and CEO of <strong>Health</strong><strong>Care</strong> Partners, LLC<br />
Gov. Schwarzenegger has an aggressive health improvement<br />
agenda to cover all Californians, giving every<strong>on</strong>e<br />
access to high-quality, affordable care. The recent passage<br />
of legislati<strong>on</strong> in the California Assembly moves us <strong>on</strong>e step<br />
closer to this important goal. The governor’s statement that<br />
the coordinated care model is “the most efficient and costeffective<br />
way to deliver health care to the greatest number<br />
of Californians” is no surprise to those of us who live the<br />
coordinated care model every day. And, in this climate of<br />
rising health care costs, populati<strong>on</strong> growth and a clamor for<br />
greater access to health care, the coordinated care model<br />
looks better and better. Of course, successfully providing<br />
coordinated care requires the proper infrastructure and the<br />
foresight to prepare for industry changes and challenges.<br />
<strong>Health</strong><strong>Care</strong> Partners was created from the merger of<br />
California Primary Physicians (CPP), Huntingt<strong>on</strong> Medical<br />
Group (HMG) and Bay Shores Medical Group (BS). When CPP<br />
was formed back in 1975, its goal was to provide high-quality,<br />
1 0 | CAPG HEALTH WINTER 2008<br />
cover<br />
story<br />
affordable medical care. When the group sensed the shift to<br />
managed care, we believed that we could c<strong>on</strong>trol costs, improve<br />
patient outcomes and achieve a competitive advantage by changing<br />
the way medicine was practiced and managed. This proactive<br />
approach resulted in incredible growth in patient enrollment and<br />
we developed even more sophisticated systems. Between 1975<br />
and the formati<strong>on</strong> of <strong>Health</strong><strong>Care</strong> Partners, HMG and BS were<br />
also growing with similar cultures. The mergers of these successful<br />
medical groups set the stage for what would be a culture<br />
of c<strong>on</strong>tinuous improvement at <strong>Health</strong><strong>Care</strong> Partners.<br />
WHAT IS THE COORDINATED CARE MODEL<br />
AND WHY IS IT SUPERIOR?<br />
Our belief in the superiority of the coordinated care<br />
model is based <strong>on</strong> a simple formula: Well-informed patients,<br />
working with their physicians as trusted advisors, will<br />
make the most appropriate decisi<strong>on</strong>s regarding their health<br />
and well-being. And evidence supports that the approach
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