par8o, the nation's leader in referral management, and Arizona Care Network (ACN), an accountable care organization representing more than 5,000 clinicians in the Phoenix metropolitan area, announced a strategic partnership to improve care coordination and patient satisfaction.
"par8o supports ACN's commitment to high quality care by managing referrals for over 170,000 patients across several risk-based contracts in a highly complex provider landscape spanning multiple EMRs," said Dr. David Hanekom, CEO of Arizona Care Network. "As value-based contracts are central to our business growth, par8o can ensure that our network of interdependent providers has an easy-to-use, scalable tool that is configured to allow patients to find a provider that meets their unique clinical and service needs, for a personalized experience."
Primary care providers use the 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.
"We are tremendously proud to partner with Arizona Care Network to improve care coordination and patient experience," said Dr. Daniel Palestrant, CEO of par8o. "par8o can be configured not only by provider system, but by individual plan, ensuring that patients get to the right provider when they need it. par8o is also integrating with multiple EMR platforms throughout ACN's network, including Athena, Cerner, and Allscripts, to fully integrate in the clinical workflow."
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.
"par8o has already been a very good tool to support what we call the 'Quadruple Aim' – improving health, increasing patient satisfaction, managing the cost of care and supporting provider satisfaction," Hanekom noted.
About par8o
Founded in 2012, par8o is now the largest referral management company in the country. par8o has reinvented the referral, that moment a provider helps connect a patient to the next step in their care. Through workflow integration and mobile technology, par8o creates a customized, concierge experience for each patient, ensuring they get to the right provider when they need it. Institutions including Mt. Sinai Health System, Dignity Health, and CityMD rely on par8o to actively manage their referrals and to help coordinate care for over a million patients to date. To learn more visit www.par8o.com.
About Arizona Care Network
Arizona Care Network (ACN) is a physician-led, physician-governed clinically integrated network comprised of like-minded, high-performing physicians who share a passion for improving quality of care and creating a better patient experience.
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. More than 1,250 locations make up the continuum of care for patients, including skilled nursing and home health agencies, imaging centers, retail clinics, urgent care centers, emergency facilities, children's hospitals and acute care/specialty hospitals. Learn more at www.azcarenetwork.org.
