Wilmington - With State of Delaware approval announced on Sept. 22, ChristianaCare plans to launch Delaware Medicaid Quality Partners Accountable Care Organization (ACO), one of the first Medicaid ACOs in the state. The ACO aims to provide more than 18,000 Medicaid patients with innovative, high quality, data driven health care at lower cost. ACOs are networks of doctors, hospitals and others that share financial and medical responsibility for providing coordinated, effective care to patients while limiting unnecessary spending. At the heart of each patient’s care is a primary care provider and care team. “The formation of Delaware Medicaid Quality Partners ACO is a huge step forward in meeting the health care needs of the Medicaid population in Delaware,” said Christine Donohue-Henry, M.D., MBA, president and CEO of Delaware Medicaid Quality Partners ACO and chief population health officer at ChristianaCare in a statement to the press. “ChristianaCare has ample experience providing high quality, value-based care in an accountable care organization framework.” Delaware Medicaid Quality Partners ACO will be supported by ChristianaCare’s award-winning care coordination program CareVio, which harnesses real-time data and predictive analytics to identify opportunities to help patients better manage their health and avoid complications that might lead to unnecessary hospitalizations or avoidable visits to the emergency department. The new ACO will also build on ChristianaCare’s record of success in delivering value-based care to more than 40,000 Medicare beneficiaries as a founding partner of eBrightHealth ACO, which has provided high-quality care while achieving four consecutive years of savings that total more than $18 million. “Key to the success of Delaware Medicaid Quality Partners ACO will be building on our strong clinical partnerships with providers in primary care, pediatrics and behavioral and women’s health, as well as continuing to work closely with our community-based partners to provide health care access and support in the communities where patients live,” said Rose Kakoza, M.D., MPH, medical director for Delaware Medicaid Quality Partners ACO in a statement. “Among areas we will especially focus on are health equity, care standardization and addressing social determinants of health.” The Delaware Medicaid Quality Partners ACO will seek agreements with the state’s two Medicaid managed care organizations, AmeriHealth Caritas Delaware and Highmark Health Options. The contracts are expected to begin July 1, 2021 and run through Dec. 31, 2024. Under the ACO framework, when an ACO succeeds both in delivering high-quality care and spending health care dollars more wisely, the ACO will share in the savings it achieves.