As part of the state’s restructuring of its MassHealth accountable care organizations, Greater Lawrence Family Health Center and its Merrimack Valley associates are forming a new partnership to better coordinate care to patients.
Accountable care organizations are teams of physicians, nurses, other clinicians and insurance providers who work together to administer coordinated, high-quality health care to their patients. In Massachusetts, these organizations care for 1.2 million MassHealth members. For five years, beginning in April, Greater Lawrence Family Health Center will be part of Community Care Cooperative, known as C3. This “Model B” organization is made up of 23 health centers.
“GLFHC is excited to be part of C3. Our relationship with Lawrence General Hospital will remain quite strong as our primary location for inpatient services, specialty care and the hospital experience for our Family Medicine Residency program,” said Dr. Guy L. Fish, president and CEO of the Health Center with locations in Lawrence, Haverhill and Methuen.
Previously, the health center and hospital joined together to form the MVACO. Known as My Care Family, the organization and AllWays Health Partners managed the care of patients with MassHealth insurance. My Care Family was a “Model A” ACO and was comprised of staff from both the health center and the hospital, with support from AllWays Health Partners.
Since the MVACO formed six years ago, Fish explained, both the Health center and Lawrence General have learned much about structuring care coordination for patients, delivering better care at lower cost.