Hamilton, Mont.-based Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital and the local medical group, Ravalli Family Medicine, are banding together with a dozen other rural hospitals in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, to launch an accountable care organization, according to the Ravalli Republic.
The hospitals will receive help with implementation from the National Rural Accountable Care Consortium, according to the report. The consortium supports rural hospitals who alone may not have the minimum required number of Medicare beneficiaries or start-up funds available to launch the programs. NRACO will help provide training so hospitals can learn the ins and outs of coordinated care under the Medicare programs, according to the report.
"Working with the NRACO, we are going to be able to learn how to make the transition from the fee-for-service model to a preventative alternative care model," Marcus Daly Memorial CEO John Bartos told the Ravalli Republic. "This is an opportunity for us to do that without harm to the hospital. There will be no change for our patients."
The following hospitals are participating with Marcus Daly Memorial, according to NRACO.
- West Park Hospital District (Cody, Wyo.)
- Steele Memorial Medical Center (Salmon, Idaho)
- St. Luke Community Hospital (Ronan, Mont.)
- Sidney (Mont.) Health Center
- North Valley Hospital (Whitefish, Mont.)
- Memorial Hospital of Carbon County (Rawlins, Wyo.)
- Gritman Medical Center (Moscow, Idaho)
- Community Hospital of Anaconda (Mont.)
- Clark Fork Valley Hospital & Family Medicine Network (Plains, Mont.)
- Central Montana Medical Center (Lewistown)
- Broadwater Health Center (Townsend, Mont.)
- Barrett Hospital and Health Care Organization (Dillon, Mont.)
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