DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Genesis Physicians Group, one of the largest Independent Physician Associations in North Texas, improved care for over 6,500 Medicare beneficiaries across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, saving Medicare $8.6 million by meeting quality and cost goals in 2020. This is the third straight year that Genesis physicians achieved such high performance, with total savings reaching $14.6 million since joining the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) in 2018. Genesis ranked third in Texas for the highest savings rate at 11%.
Genesis earned a quality score of 96.9% on performance measures ranging from preventive health screenings, to use of computerized health records and preventing avoidable hospitalizations and emergency visits during an unprecedented year.
“These performance results highlight the importance of private, independent practicing physicians in the health care ecosystem—the backbone of the primary care in North Texas. We are proud to announce these very important results from the work independent physicians have accomplished during the difficult COVID pandemic year of 2020,” said Dr. Jim Walton, President & CEO of Genesis Physicians Group.
In response to the COVID crisis, Genesis reconfigured operations to ensure that physicians and care teams had the infrastructure and resources to support their patients. Notable highlights include:
- Leveraged artificial intelligence to identify Medicare beneficiaries most vulnerable for contracting COVID. Genesis then partnered with local agencies to offer vaccines and ongoing testing. Care teams also proactively contacted patients to ease their anxiety by sharing COVID resources and CDC-supported education.
- Achieved reductions in avoidable hospitalizations (8%) and avoidable emergency visits (10%) by establishing partnerships with community-based organizations to assist patients with needs within the home. This included at-home urgent care, behavioral/mental health counseling, and social needs.
- Supported practices by setting-up telehealth services to address the drastic reduction of in-person visits. In addition, the Genesis care team provided education to patients and their caregivers on how to conduct telehealth visits, allowing them to continue seeing their physicians and maintain their annual wellness visits.
- Focused on ensuring smooth patient transitions from the hospital to home—or a skilled facility, if needed, through the ACO’s preferred post-acute care network.
“The MSSP program provides market-based incentives for physicians to improve both the quality and cost of health care for our senior population,” Dr. Jim Walton said. “Over the last three years, the innovation of private enterprise continues to produce powerful evidence that health care delivery is improving for our most vulnerable populations.”
About Genesis Physicians Group
Based in Dallas, Texas, Genesis Physicians Group offers physician members the benefits of being independent, yet not alone. Through Genesis, members receive services, tools, and information to support their practices such as contracting, credentialing, group purchasing, education, population health management, practice consulting, and more. Genesis supports approximately 1,500 physician members and over 200 Advanced Practice Providers. For more information, visit https://genesisaco.org/
