Richard Gilfillan, MD, president and CEO of Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health, says he wants a Medicare Shared Savings Program accountable care organization in every Trinity market, according to an interview with The Advisory Board Company.
At first this doesn't come as a surprise: Dr. Gilfillan led the team at CMS that wrote ACO regulations and was the first head of the CMS Innovation Center in 2010.
However, perhaps because of his multi-faceted healthcare experience, Dr. Gilfillan is realistic about the limitations of MSSP ACOs.
He has executive leadership experience in insurance with Geisinger Health System and the Geisinger Health Plan, as well as with Independence Blue Cross. Early on in his career, he worked for multiple HMOs, started his own family medicine practice and served as a CMO.
He told The Advisory Board: "While the program may not be perfect today we expect that, over time, CMS will modify it to ensure that it is sustainable."
Yet he remains positive about the benefits of ACOs for Trinity. Dr. Gilfillan said he wants a MSSP ACO in every market because the program aligns with Trinity's mission to be a people-centered health system, and gives Trinity a realistic way to learn how to deliver better health, improve care and reduce costs. It also serves as a stress test, he said, by requiring regional markets to find out their potential and strengthen relationships with physicians.
"It provides a business rationale for doing all the things we have all wanted to do for a long time," he told The Advisory Board.
Trinity Health includes 86 hospitals across 21 states.
More articles on accountable care:
UnitedHealthcare, Catalyst Health Network form ACO
Cigna forms 5 new collaborative care agreements
Texas hospital, clinic to join National Rural Accountable Care Consortium