Arizona Care Network (ACN) is a physician-led, physician-governed clinically integrated network has announced a strategic partnership with referral management provider par8o. As part of the partnership, ACN’s primary care doctors will utilize par80’s cloud-based software platform to refer patients to ACN specialists who share their commitment to improving care and outcomes.
par8o’s Care Compass dashboard produces a selection of in-network specialists based on each patient’s insurance among other factors, which helps manage the cost of care. The specialists’ offices receive the referral and log their actions; this allows the referring PCP to know whether the patient has followed through on the recommended care plan, thus improving outcomes. Following the appointment, the specialist can post their notes, diagnosis, and care plan, improving communication among each patient’s care team.
ACN’s physician community is composed of 1,000 primary care providers and more than 4,000 specialists; through an affiliation with Phoenix Children’s Care Network, the network includes nearly 300 general pediatricians and 80 percent of local pediatric specialists
par8o launched throughout ACN’s provider practices in February 2017, and includes par8o’s Member Match capability that compiles patient demographic and insurance information from multiple risk-based contracts, attributing patients to primary care providers, for greater ease-of-use and integration into the clinical workflow. To date, ACN has documented that 85 percent of referrals made within par8o remain in network.
ACN practices are already realizing value. Angela Stowers, practice manager for Spectrum Health in Phoenix, believes par8o has improved efficiency for her practice. “It alerts me to ACN providers to help my patients stay in network and I receive faster responses and better communication from the specialists’ offices.”
In May, ACN launched par8o’s patient text messaging feature. The text notifications reduce the back-and-forth calls that can happen when trying to connect a patient to a specialist, and improve patient communication and compliance in making and attending the specialist appointments recommended by their PCP. In addition, the “rate your specialist” feature provides valuable patient satisfaction feedback.
