WHEREAS, the organizations listed below are mission-based health care organizations focused on improving the health of the communities they serve;
WHEREAS, the below-listed organizations wish to work together to transform the delivery of healthcare through meaningful sharing and accountability for the health of their patients;
WHEREAS, the organizations have committed to a collaboration that will involve participation in a MaineCare Accountable Community, and/or potentially other similar initiatives (collectively, ACO); and
WHEREAS, the parties wish to articulate the shared values that will guide and inform this collaboration;
NOW, THEREFORE, each signatory to this document commits to the following principles in their work together. Specifically, the undersigned will:
- Advance the cause of service to the community by improving access to care, improving clinical outcomes, reducing costs, improving patient experience of care and improving employee satisfaction.
- Work collaboratively and share information openly to achieve constant improvement in patient care, patient satisfaction and efficient healthcare delivery;
- Share decision-making with respect to the ACO equally among members, and establish a governance structure that ensures full participation of all members in the decisions affecting them;
- Challenge the status quo to change the way healthcare is delivered, and challenge each other to take on bold initiatives;
- Share openly best practices and internal systems and create new shared systems with the goal of delivery system transformation;
- State explicitly the expectations of each group initiative, along with the specific role of members, their leaders and providers in meeting those expectations;
- Hold leaders, providers and each other accountable to explicit expectations of the ACO once those expectations are agreed upon by the group;
- Seek administrative efficiency in the governance and operations of the ACO, and create a sustainable model of operations that will be both stable and adaptable;
- Commit to membership criteria agreed-upon by ACO members, to include, without limitation, (1) being a not-for-profit legal entity, (2) maintaining or achieving NCQA recognition (or its equivalent) or, at a minimum, being in the process of submitting for NCQA (or equivalent recognition) within a reasonable period of time from the date of admission to the ACO, (3) utilizing a meaningful use-certified electronic medical record in a manner that allows meaningful participation in population health management, (4) providing effective practice-based care coordination, and (5) having the capacity to generate and utilize population health data; and
- Participate actively in a strong team committed to supporting and learning from each other, and devote the time necessary, among senior leaders and staff of member organizations, to accomplish shared initiatives.
