Meghan Bailey – Let’s begin with the basics. What is an Accountable Care Network? Why is an Accountable Care Network important?

Steven Keltie – It’s important because it’s redefining the delivery of healthcare. An Accountable Care Network is a panel of carefully selected physicians, from all medical specialties, who all share the same goal and philosophy of delivering high quality and well coordinated patient care. Unlike other medical networks, these physicians work together closely to share ideas on patient care, review each other’s quality data and improve clinical protocols.

Another key component is the need to provide proper access to the care a patient needs. It does no good to offer a large list of doctors if a patient cannot get in to see them for weeks at a time.

If a doctor cannot get patients into the office in a reasonable amount of time, or if they do not want to work together with their colleagues to compare quality data and improve patient care... they do not belong on our network.

MB – I’ve heard of an “Accountable Care Organization.” Is this the same thing?

SK – Yes and no. The term Accountable Care Organization, or ACO, usually refers to Medicare. An ACN is very similar in structure, but it’s meant for health plans other than Medicare, such as the traditional health plans your employer would provide or the individual health plans you buy for yourself or your family.

MB – You mentioned “access to care.” Can you explain this a little further?

SK – Of course! In most health plans, physicians are paid based on the number of patients they see and the number of services they provide to those patients. In some cases, this is fine,
but sometimes, this leads to overcrowding in the physician’s office. This means that the patient cannot get in to receive the care they need, and when they do get in, they often feel rushed. That’s not the experience we want our patients to have when they see a WellHealth doctor. WellHealth makes it easy to get in to be seen. Our patients have Health Advisors whose job it is to ensure they’re able to receive the care that they need. Patients can call, email or reach their Advisors via the WellHealth mobile app... whatever is most convenient for them.

MB – Why should patients start caring about their healthcare choice?

SK – Over the years, healthcare has become complicated and confusing. People enroll in a health plan and a lot of the time, they do not understand how the whole system works. The thing is that not all medical networks are created equal, and we all need to be consumers when it comes to health care, just like we’re consumers in every other aspect of life. People pay good money for their health insurance coverage. They should know what it is they’re getting in return. High levels of customer service, timely physician appointments, and quality based care. These things are fundamental, and they do not have to be expensive!

MB - So, when someone is shopping for coverage, these are the things they should be looking for?

SK – Absolutely! Why not?!? Those are the kinds of things we demand from grocery stores, auto shops and restaurants, right? Why wouldn’t we demand the same from the healthcare industry? Look, if your cable company told you that you had to wait four weeks for them to turn on your service and that they wanted to be paid regardless of the quality of service they provide, you’d go somewhere else, right?

Nevada has some amazing medical professionals. Physicians who thrive on taking great care of their patients. WellHealth has given them the ability to come together to do just that.