American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons – Practice Forward 2011

I spoke at the AAOS annual "Practice Forward" course this past week in Chicago, giving two presentations and tweeting much of the rest of the meeting.  Below, please find the slides from my presentation on ACOs (Accountable Care Organizations) and the specialist.  We spent a good chunk of time discussing ACOs, bundled payments, other sorts of non-fee-for-service payment systems coming down the pike, the need to do more with less, and the opportunities and challenges ahead.  To a certain extent, the orthopedists at the meeting — including in particular John Cherf, the course director — recognize that orthopedic care may be seen as "low hanging fruit" by cost-cutters and reformers in the health care system, and that therefore they need to take the initiative and lead by developing improved collaborative care models across a broader spectrum of musculoskeletal care.

David Harlow
The Harlow Group LLC
Health Care Law and Consulting