The healthcare landscape is changing, even as Obamacare bumps along.
In the past six years, we’ve seen the rise of Accountable Care Organizations, now numbering more than 800, where doctors or hospitals work together to streamline care. For physicians that means they now get some compensation through contracts that reward improving health and controlling costs, as opposed to simply making money for every service provided regardless of the outcome or expense.
There are now an estimated 28 million Americans enrolled in these ACOs, and that means, at least for some, their care looks radically different than even just a few years ago. That’s particularly true for some of the sicker people in the country.
People like 76-year-old Millard Scott.
Scott, who lives in the small town of Williamson, West Virginia, population 3,000, suffers from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. When his COPD kicks up, struggling to breathe is Scott’s big problem.
HENRY KOTULA 