Ambulatory Care Centers Committee

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has identified hospitals as the most expensive part of the world’s most expensive health system—accounting for $851 billion, or 31%, of America’s health care spending in 2011. As a country in of itself, America’s hospitals would be the world’s 16th-largest economy.

Since ACA passed, many hospitals systems have reacted by getting bigger through a series of mergers and takeovers of medical groups. Given that hospitals receive a fee for each treatment and for filling rooms and beds with patients, hospitals have been justifiably accused of selling as many services as possible at the highest price possible—a premise highlighted by the fact that American hospitals stays are amongst the most expensive in the world. The incentive system for quantity of care, rather than quality of care, bodes ill for patients.

LACMA members from ambulatory care center committee convened to discuss the issues facing their patient communities in light of the changing landscape and the fact that physician-directed medical centers may provide more cost-effective and efficient means of delivering high quality health care to patients.

The ACC advisory committee was formed to –

• provide better access to information concerning rapidly occurring changes in the health care landscape
• deliver greater practice benefits and cost savings for committee members
• coordinate efforts among physician-directed medical centers to influence elected officials and decision-makers to effectively advocate for policies that improve the quality and availability of health care.

The partnership between ambulatory care centers and LACMA allows the centers to leverage the resources of LACMA and the California Medical Association (CMA) to address the problems and opportunities identified by committee members. And because LACMA and CMA shape the State’s health legislative and policy agenda through continued involvement in a variety of critical policy matters and in state and local elections, the Ambulatory Care Centers Committee (ACC) helps determine medical policy for the State and plays an influential role in broadening a physician’s ability to advocate of behalf of their patients and communities.

The ACC will be led by a core group of physician leaders who will come together to identify initiatives and programs for LACMA to pursue on behalf of member centers. LACMA will work with committee members to convene subject matter experts, present case studies from LACMA’s preferred vendor partners, programs integrated with revenue management and clinical management, and opportunities to enhance current business practices and supply networks. For staff of our members, the committee will provide relevant program content and the necessary tools to address critical issues affecting the supply chain process, including regulatory pressures, the influx of technology, aggregation strategies and continued ideas for non-salary cost reductions.