Optimus Healthcare Partners

Who We Are

An Accountable Care Organization (ACO) provides the platform for various providers of health care (primary care physicians, specialists, and hospitals) to work closely together in delivering improved quality, lower costs, and better experience to patient populations. . In order to reach these goals the providers become both clinically and financially integrated. They agree to share specific structures and processes. Clinically, the ACO provides new protocols, technology and resources that allow for better patient access to care, care coordination, and compliance with evidence-based guidelines. The providers in an ACO embrace new workflow and measurement processes that drive better patient outcomes.

Optimus is focused on affordable, high-quality care. Optimus Healthcare Partners provides the organizational platform where independent physicians work together to provide patients the right care, at the right time, in the right place, and at the right cost. Optimus Healthcare Partners is in the process of enrolling physicians from the combined 650 physician membership of VISTA and CJPN, but we are looking to quickly expand throughout New Jersey to include physician groups committed to the core mission of transforming healthcare delivery.

Optimus physicians are focused on patient-centered principles of improved access to care, whole person orientation, evidence-based care management, enhanced care coordination, and new compensation models rewarding good patient outcomes to lead the way in health care transformation. In these difficult economic times it is important for physicians to bring true health care value to their patients and the employers who provide healthcare benefits. For physicians who wish to remain independent, we offer an alternative to the absorption of their practices by a hospital system or a larger group.

There are numerous hospitals, integrated delivery systems, multispecialty groups and health plans experimenting with new compensation models that attempt to drive quality through aligned incentives. Optimus Healthcare Partners provides the best vehicle to protect physician and patient interests, while still providing value in the health care systems of tomorrow.

What is an Accountable Care Organization?

Simply defined, it is a group of healthcare providers that join together to be accountable for the total cost of care of a group of patients attributed to them. In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) mandated that Medicare would start to contract with accountable care organizations by 2012. In April 2011 proposed regulations surrounding accountable care organization design, structure and operations, were published for public comment.

There has been significant feedback based on this proposal from multiple stakeholders. CMS recognizes that this is new ground and has been transparent in laying out multiple options and its thinking behind the proposal in the 400+ page document. The final regulations will probably look different from where we are today and the refinement process will continue, but ACO's will nevertheless be required to report on quality measures and take financial risk for the populations they serve.

This is above all a mechanism of developing value-based purchasing contractual arrangements between healthcare providers and payers. Commercial payers are also moving in this direction.

An ACO provides the infrastructure to document and improve the physician provider's performance along with the resources to maximize quality and efficiency in these new contracts. Of critical importance will be choosing the ACO that displays a competent/experienced infrastructure, physician-driven governance, and a culture that embraces change.

Optimus Healthcare Partners recognizes that the healthcare environment is changing and that traditional fee-for-service contracting is a non-sustainable model for our constituent physicians. We therefore have become part of the Brookings Dartmouth ACO Learning Collaborative a provider of valuable ACO information and resources, invested significant time and effort in acquiring adequate capitalization, bringing together the right partners for a robust information technology infrastructure and clinical and operational management and leadership.

What We Do

Provides the infrastructure to improve the physician provider’s performance

The current healthcare reimbursement structure has no recognition for the quality of care rendered to a patient, cost or experience. The health plans and purchasers of healthcare are demanding new compensation arrangements that reward quality, patient satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness delivery of care.