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Atrius Health is a Massachusetts based healthcare organization with a system of connected care for adult and pediatric patients in eastern and central Massachusetts.[1] Atrius Health's medical practices work together with the home health and hospice services of its VNA Care subsidiary and in collaboration with hospital partners, community specialists and skilled nursing facilities.[2] Atrius was acquired by Optum on May 31, 2022, which caused it to lose its tax-exempt status, although its charitable assets were transferred to the Atrius Health Equity Foundation.[3][4][5][6]

The Atrius Health groups operate as a model for accountable care organizations (ACOs)[7][failed verification] with responsibility for the quality and cost of care for many of their patients since before the term was coined by Elliott S. Fisher in 2006.[8] In 2009, Atrius Health became one of the first organizations to sign on to the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Alternative Quality Contract (AQC).[9]

Atrius Health is also a participant in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Pioneer ACO program. In 2015, Atrius Health's Pioneer ACO's quality scores were the highest among Pioneer ACO's in Massachusetts and the third-highest among Pioneer ACOs nationally.[10]

Atrius Health has also earned Stage 7 recognition from HIMSS Analytics, the highest level possible nationally for the use of health information technology.[11]

Leadership

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Steven Strongwater became president and CEO of Atrius Health in August 2015.[12] Joe Kimura is chief medical officer and an internist at Atrius Health. In 2012, Kimura was named by Modern Healthcare as one of the Top 25 Clinical Informaticists in the United States.[13] Since 2014, he has served as co-chair of the Office of National Coordinator HIT Policy Federal Workgroup on Advanced Health Models and Meaningful Use.[14]

History

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Founding medical groups Dedham Medical Associates and Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates formed Atrius Health as a loose affiliation in 2004. They were then joined by Granite Medical Group in 2005. They entered a formal merger in 2015.[15][16] Atrius took on VNA Care Network & Hospice as a subsidiary providing integrated home health and hospice subsidiary in 2017. PMG Physician Associates followed suit on June 1, 2017.[17] Atrius Health was acquired by Optum on May 31, 2022.[4]

Timeline

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  • 2004: Dedham Medical Associates, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Southboro Medical Group and South Shore Medical Center formed HealthOne Care System
  • 2005: Granite Medical Group joined HealthOne Care System
  • 2007: HealthOne Care System changed its name to Atrius Health
  • 2007: Hired Ed Noffsinger,[18] the "Father of Shared Medical Appointments" to launch a program of Shared Medical Appointments (SMAs[19]) as a way for patients to have better access to their physicians and other providers and to learn from other patients during a 90-minute group visit[20]
  • 2009: Began working with Simpler Consulting[21] to improve care deliveries through Lean transformation.[22]
  • 2009: Signed a five-year Alternative Quality Contract[23] (AQC) with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts to improve the quality of care and cut medical costs[24]
  • 2009: Created the Atrius Health Foundation to support innovative solutions to improve healthcare and help in emergency situations like the 2010 earthquake near Port-au-Prince, Haiti
  • 2011: Reliant Medical Group (formerly Fallon Clinic) joined Atrius Health[25]
  • 2013: VNA Care Network & Hospice joined Atrius Health[26][citation needed]
  • 2013: VNA of Boston became a subsidiary of Atrius' subsidiary VNA Care Network Foundation.[27]
  • 2015: Atrius reorganizes: South Shore Medical Center in Norwell, Reliant Medical Group in Worcester, and Southboro Medical Group in Southborough leave the association, while Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Dedham Medical Associates, and Granite Medical Group merge into one corporation.[28] VNA Care Network Foundation is an integrated subsidiary.[citation needed]
  • 2015: Atrius Health invests $10 million into an Innovation Center aimed at developing and improving patient-centered care delivery models to improve care quality and efficiency in interacting with patients[29]
  • 2015: Steven Strongwater joins Atrius Health as president & chief executive officer[30]
  • 2016: Atrius' subsidiary, VNA Care Network Foundation, rebranded as VNA Care, and will include VNA Care Network & Hospice, VNA of Boston, and VNA Hospice Care.[31]
  • 2022: Atrius Health is acquired by Optum, at which point it lost its not-for-profit status and its charitable assets were transferred to the Atrius Health Equity Foundation.[4][6]

References

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  1. ^ "Atrius Health: Who We Are". Atriushealth.org.
  2. ^ "Atrius Health - Our Care Network". Atriushealth.org.
  3. ^ Tozzi, John (2022). "UnitedHealth's Deal for Atrius Doctors Cleared by Massachusetts AG". BNN Bloomberg Newsletters. Toronto, Ontario: Bell Media. Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "News & Media | Atrius Health Joins Optum". www.atriushealth.org. Archived from the original on 2022-08-20. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  5. ^ Morse, Susan (25 Apr 2022). "Massachusetts AG agrees to $236 million Optum and Atrius Health merger". Healthcare Finance. HIMSS Media. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b Morse, Susan (2022-05-02). "Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court approves Optum's acquisition of Atrius". Healthcare Finance. HIMSS Media. Retrieved 2 July 2024. Optum Care will purchase Atrius' charitable assets for $236 million, with the proceeds going to the Atrius Health Equity Foundation.
  7. ^ "ACO FAQs". Kaiserhealthnews.org. 14 September 2015.
  8. ^ Aiello, Marianne (December 2, 2010). "Elliott Fisher: Data-Driven ACO Visionary". Health Leaders Media. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  9. ^ "News Release - Visitor - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts". Archived from the original on 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2015-02-06.
  10. ^ "How Atrius Health is Standing Tall Among Pioneer ACOs | Healthcare Informatics Magazine | Health IT | Information Technology". Healthcare-informatics.com. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  11. ^ "HIMSS Analytics Honors, Atrius Health and its affiliate, Reliant Medical Group, with Stage 7 Ambulatory Award". Archived from the original on 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2015-02-06.
  12. ^ "Atrius names new CEO". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  13. ^ "Modern Health Care: Top 25 Clinical Informaticists". Modernhealthcare.com. 7 September 2011.
  14. ^ "Advanced Health Models and Meaningful Use Workgroup | FACA". Healthit.gov. Archived from the original on 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  15. ^ "History". Atrius Health. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  16. ^ Priyanka Dayal McCluskey (December 9, 2014). "New Atrius will be streamlined, smaller - 3 doctors groups to merge; 3 others opt to split off". The Boston Globe.
  17. ^ Atrius Health (June 2, 2017). "Welcome PMG Physician Associates!". Atrius Health Blog. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  18. ^ "Edward B. Noffsinger". Archived from the original on 2011-09-17.
  19. ^ Donnelly, Ally (December 1, 2008). "Shared Medical Appointments Help Provide Better Care". NECN. Archived from the original on 2009-02-07.
  20. ^ TERGESEN, ANNE (December 19, 2009). "Group Healing". Wall Street Journal.
  21. ^ ROSE, JILL (August 1, 2011). "On the Road". Inside Healthcare.
  22. ^ "Lean Transformation". Lean.org.
  23. ^ "Fee for Service: How Long Will It Be Around?: New Payment Models: Do They Help?". Medscape.
  24. ^ Syre, Steve (September 16, 2011). "Hospitals' cost gamble". Boston Globe.
  25. ^ Butler, Brandon (June 21, 2011). "Fallon Clinic To Join Atrius". Worcester Business Journal.
  26. ^ "VNA Care Network & Hospice - About Us". Archived from the original on 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2015-02-06.
  27. ^ "Notice of Material Change". Mass.gov. State of Massachusetts. 2013-07-03. Retrieved 2 July 2024. VNA Care Network Foundation ... will become the indirect parent of ... Boston VNA and Hospice
  28. ^ Dayal McCluskey, Priyanka (9 December 2014). "New Atrius will be streamlined, smaller". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  29. ^ "Atrius launches 'innovation center'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  30. ^ "Atrius Health's new CEO focused on innovation to move physician group forward - Boston Business Journal". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  31. ^ "New name for VNA Care". Telegram & Gazette. 28 Jul 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
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