Self Regional Healthcare, a referral medical center serving a seven-county region in South Carolina, is an award-winning provider known for its commitment to patient health. The center also ranks as one of the nation’s best healthcare workplaces according to Modern Healthcare 1, and is a six-time Gallup Great Workplace 2. So it should come as no surprise that the center decided to learn about population health through an innovative accountable care pilot program benefiting some of its 1,900 employees.
Recognizing the accountable care (ACO) trend in the healthcare industry, Self Regional’s leadership wanted to prepare. “Our goal has been to put all the pieces and components in place to be ready to function as an ACO should the need arise, starting with our employee healthcare costs and taking on the role of a risk-bearer,” says Keith Gillespie, ACO project manager.
To get started, the center identified a pilot group of 50 high-risk employees and beneficiaries for an advanced care management program. By strategically investing more money upfront in population health, Self Regional hopes to recapture healthcare costs in later years through overall better health for its self-insured population.