Essential Healthcare Management Offers Expert Advice to Healthcare Suppliers Targeting New Accountable Care Organizations

    DALLAS, TX, March 25, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Set to launch in January as part of the Affordable Care Act of 2010, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) may soon become a predominant option for integrating healthcare services for Medicare recipients, and Essential Healthcare Management (EHM), a healthcare business development firm, is leading the way in offering expertise, guidance and strategies for healthcare suppliers wanting to align their business with this new system.

An ACO is a network of medical caregivers - hospitals, doctors, nurses, suppliers, home healthcare specialists, health educators, nutritionists, etc. - that share responsibility for providing care to patients. Under this system, service providers are held accountable for patients with incentives given for keeping them healthy while also reducing costs by avoiding unnecessary or repetitive medical tests and procedures. If ACOs provide high quality care and reduce costs to the health care system, they can keep some of the money that they have helped save. Several of the nation's largest health insurers, such as Humana and Cigna, have already announced plans to form their own ACOs.

EHM founder and managing partner, Frank Ripullo, said the number of organizations announcing plans to register as ACOs is ballooning and has skyrocketed from 20 to more than 100 in just a short period of time. Among these are integrated delivery networks (IDNs) such as the Banner Health System and SSM Health Care Corporation.

"This presents a tremendous opportunity for medical industry suppliers," Ripullo said. "However, many companies don't know how to best take advantage and prepare for this new participant in the marketplace. We can help them understand ACOs and the potential impact on their businesses while providing strategies, tactics and introductions for and within this new service model. This is such a significant turn of events for the healthcare market that we have dedicated a section of our website that explains the ACO arena and its impact on suppliers, as well as offers tips and advice."

The new ACO model may be challenging for some suppliers because they are accustomed to having only one market focus, such as acute care, he said. Under the new system, they have the potential to expand their market to other areas -- home care, long-term care, etc. Offering products in a wide variety of areas will give them a competitive edge because ACOs have an added incentive to work with suppliers that can provide products and services covering the entire spectrum of services or venues.

"Our team can give suppliers a head start by offering introductions and helping them adapt their products to ACOs," he said. "We also work with clients on the product development side to so that their products can be easily integrated into the new system."

About Essential Healthcare Management
Essential Healthcare Management (EHM), a healthcare business development firm, provides the marketing and sales support for companies to create demand for their products and services and generate significant sales. EHM guides clients through the procurement process and connects them with key decision-makers. No other firm can match EHM's comprehensive scope of services or its performance in the industry.

Austin, Texas-based Accolades PR is a results-oriented communications firm committed to progressive strategies in public relations and marketing. The agency focuses on building and protecting its clients' most valuable asset - their brand. With expertise in brand management, media relations, corporate communications, product launches and special events, the firm's capabilities encompass a variety of practice areas. As a team, Accolades PR delivers more than 45 years of experience in garnering media exposure and developing effective marketing campaigns. Accolades' mission is to set the standard in what carefully executed public relations and communication strategies can do for sales, lead generation and the bottom line of ROI.
More information on the firm is available at www.AccoladesPR.com.

Contact:
Stephanie Fulton
[email protected]
(512) 797-6170

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