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44 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT Northern Arizona Orthopaedics partners with HOPCo, connects with The CORE Institute: 4 key notes By Laura Dyrda P hoenix-based Healthcare Outcomes Performance Company signed a partnership agreement with Northern Arizona Orthopaedics, based in Flagstaff. HOPCo is the management firm behind Phe- onix-based e CORE Institute. "HOPCo and NAO share a history of commitment to qual- ity clinical outcomes," said David Jacofsky, MD, HOPCo's chairman and CEO. "rough this partnership, we will build a unique, clin- ically integrated experience for the benefit of our patients, our health system partners and the community at large throughout central and northern Arizona." Here are four things to know: 1. e partnership will connect NAO and e CORE Institute's clinics and surgery centers through HOPCo's analytics and care manage- ment systems. As a result, the practices will be able to provide a comprehensive orthopedic care management platform in Phoenix and Flagstaff. 2. HOPCo includes health IT tools, which pro- vide real-time data to physicians that aim to lower costs and improve outcomes for patients. 3. HOPCo also has relationships with Ban- ner Health and e CORE Institute Specialty Hospital, both in Phoenix. "We have been impressed with HOPCo's in- terest in, and capacity for, clinical innovation and proactive preparation for payer reform, and HOPCo has been impressed with NAO's brand and corporate culture, the quality of care provided and the history of leadership in our community," said Tim Bonatus, DO, chairman of the NAO board of directors and company president. 4. Northern Arizona Orthopaedics is com- prised of six specialty centers focused on musculoskeletal care, including spine and sports medicine. e group has 12 physicians and specializes in orthobiologic solutions. n 4 erros in 4 weeks: Rhode Island Hospital to commit $1M to quality improvement efforts By Megan Wood P rovidence-based Rhode Island Hospital introduced system improvement mea- sures after reports of four patient errors surfaced in four weeks, ac- cording to Providence Journal. Here are five things to know: 1. A consent agreement between the hospital and Rhode Island's Department of Health outlines that Rhode Island Hospital will implement a "series of system improvement measures" over the next year. The consent agreement is in place of regulatory action. 2. In February and March, three patients at the hospital received tests intended for other patients. A surgeon also performed sur- gery on the incorrect area of a pa- tient's spine. None of the patients experienced complications. 3. In a statement, the state health department noted the hospital will commit a minimum of $1 mil- lion to improvement efforts. 4. Rhode Island Hospital released a statement regarding the patient errors and consent agreement, reinforcing commitment to, "ad- hering to all the requirements established by the Department of Health to help prevent errors in the future." The statement outlines actions the hospital has already taken, including educational forums for the radiology department on how to enhance care delivery as well as implementation of new educa- tion protocols, such as improved hand-off procedures. 5. Rhode Island Hospital also re- leased an internal memo from Pres- ident Margaret M. Van Bree, which in part read, "While Rhode Island Hospital is a national leader in pa- tient safety and quality, we are not perfect. When mistakes occur, we must acknowledge them and act immediately to improve care." n Monterey Spine & Joint performs 600th bundled payment surgery: 5 highlights By Mackenzie Garrity M onterey (Calif.) Spine & Joint in part- nership with Global 1 performed its 600th bundled payment surgery. Here are five highlights: 1. MSJ began offering patients bundled pay- ment options with Global 1 in 2011. 2. Now, the orthopedic group offers 44 bun- dled surgeries through the program, including sports medicine cases, joint replacement and interventional pain management. 3. MSJ also bundles cases with Blue Shield of California, UnitedHealthcare and other large self-insured beneficiaries. 4. Global 1 is a third party administrator. They manage surgical bundled payments for more than 2 million insured members through its network of 12,000 physicians and 1,000 facil- ities. 5. MSJ President Christopher Meckel, MD, said, "This program, developed by Global 1, empowers patients to be better consumers of healthcare by knowing costs in advance. It also provides budget certainty to the payers." n