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Our docs live at the hospital!
Well, not quite, but our hospitalists are available
24/7. Learn more at gethealthy.centegra.org.
ince the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
was passed in 2010, major changes
have been occurring in the country’s health
care systems. Even more changes are
coming Jan. 1, when key provisions of the
ACA take effect.
Jan. 1 is when nearly everyone will be
required to have health insurance and can
no longer be denied coverage because of a
pre-existing condition. Coverage limits on
most covered benefits become a thing of the
past then too.
Through all of these changes, Centegra
has remained committed to providing
excellent patient care. That’s always going
to be the case. In fact, our goal has been
to be proactive rather than reactive when
faced with change.
“Centegra has been ahead of the curve for
some time with respect to the overall health
care delivery system and what’s needed
to survive and thrive in the new world,”
says Jeff Schmidt, senior vice president of
clinical integration and payer strategies.
TEAMING UP FOR WELLNESS
Our preparations for the changes brought
about by the ACA are apparent in the
Centegra Health and Wellness Network.
This is an association of Centegra Health
System and hundreds of physicians who
joined forces to help area residents better
manage their health.
The network fills a vital role for the
people of McHenry County by focusing
on its members’ well-being. It offers a full
range of services, from preventive care to
advanced treatments.
Wellness and preventive care are areas
of emphasis under the ACA. Also, many
preventive services will now be covered
by health plans. The idea is that stopping
problems before they start helps everyone
save money.
“Preventive care has proven to control
costs much better than anything else,” says
Schmidt.
QUALITY COUNTS
Moving forward, hospitals will be
reimbursed, to a great extent, based on
patient outcomes and the quality of services
the hospital provides rather than simply the
quantity of services. This means officials
will look to factors such as preventable
hospital readmissions, immunization rates
and blood sugar levels of people with
diabetes to determine how well people are
being cared for.
The Centegra Health and Wellness
Network (CHWN) provides the framework
for everyone involved with health care
in our area to collaborate and address
issues such as these. It helps ensure that
area residents get the high-quality health
care they deserve. At the same time, it
Health care
reform:
We’re
ready!
moves us away from a fee-for-service model
to a value-based model.
“We’ve already laid the foundation for
a migration to that type of reimbursement
platform,” says Schmidt. You can also
rest assured that Centegra will continue
to be a health care leader. “We try to stay
one step ahead of the trends and anticipate
what we need to do to be better,” says
Schmidt. “We’ll remain steadfast in our
mission.”
CHECK OUT THE ILLINOIS
MARKETPLACE
To help people who don’t have health
insurance get it by Jan. 1, Illinois and other
states have established marketplaces.
There, you can see what’s available and
compare your coverage options. Open
enrollment for the marketplace began on
Oct. 1, with coverage available as early as
Jan. 1, 2014.
CHWN is a participating provider with
the Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO plan
options available on the marketplace.
To learn more about plans on the Illinois
marketplace, visit
becoveredillinois.org
and click on “How Can I Be Covered?”
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