15 years after the Affordable Care Act
15 years after the Affordable Care Act: What’s worked and not worked in Value Based Care
At the 2025 American College of HealthCare Executives Congress, an annual educational event attended by over 7000 healthcare leaders, the Delaware Valley ACO (DVACO) was represented by Joel Port, Senior Vice President for Business and Network Development, who co-presented with Mark Angelo, MD, the former CEO of the DVACO, to over 300 attendees. The topic was “15 years after the Affordable Care Act: What’s worked and not worked in Value Based Care”, and it was very well received based on the audience reaction, and the ratings ☺️! As many of you may recall, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a comprehensive health care reform law was enacted in March 2010 with two primary goals:
- Improve access to health care by making health insurance more affordable and accessible, including the expansion of Medicaid, and;
- Fund the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid ( CMS) to support innovative health care delivery programs to improve quality and lower costs.
While this landmark legislation had its supporters and detractors, most would agree that it accelerated CMS’s and other payer efforts to offer value-based care programs and arrangements. Our presentation focused on these innovative value-based care programs, identify these initiatives, discuss what’s worked or not worked to date, present some case studies, and offer up some potential options for success in value-based care in the future.
Similar to the goals of the DVACO, we discussed how we can make value-based care more meaningful and successful in the future, and continue to enhance the US health care system. Parts of this presentation were based on the patient and providers experiences at the Delaware Valley ACO, as well as the ACHE Published book, Caring for Our Communities: A Blueprint for Better Outcomes in Population health.
Dasha Runnions, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer
Appointment of Dasha Runnions as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer
Delaware Valley ACO has announced the appointment of Dasha Runnions as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, following the departure of Mark Angelo, M.D.
Ms. Runnions is a seasoned health care executive currently serving as Associate Vice President of Strategic Provider Partnerships with Humana. Ms. Runnions has been instrumental in overseeing much of the work DVACO has accomplished since Humana joined as equity partner with Jefferson Health and Main Line Health in July 2022. Her extensive experience in value-based care and finance, combined with her familiarity with DVACO, positions her well for this interim role.
In making this announcement, the DVACO Board of Managers issued the following statement: “This interim arrangement ensures that DVACO receives the necessary support and leadership during this period, while also fostering continued alignment across our health systems and DVACO. Throughout this process, our commitment to the care of our providers, members, and associates remains our top priority. “
Ms. Runnion’s extensive experience in value-based care and finance, combined with her familiarity with DVACO, positions her well for this interim role. Ms. Runnion expressed excitement for the work ahead with Jefferson and Main Line Health: “I am truly honored and excited to step into the role of Interim CEO at DVACO. Having worked closely with the team over the past several years, I’ve seen firsthand the incredible dedication and passion that drives this organization. I look forward to collaborating with our partners, providers, and leadership as we continue to build on our success and enhance the quality of care for the communities we serve.”
Future Trends to Watch for Value-Based Care
Dr. Mark Angelo, CEO and President and Joel Port, Senior Vice President of Business & Network Development share their thoughts on the Future Trends to Watch for Value-Based Care including:
- Increased Adoption By Health Care Providers
- Use of Advanced Analytics and Technology
- Social Drivers of Health and Health Equity
- Personalized Medicine, Patient-Centered Care, and Outcomes
How Main Line Health, Delaware Valley ACO Used Palliative Care to Cut Hospitalizations by 50%
How Main Line Health, Delaware Valley ACO Used Palliative Care to Cut Hospitalizations by 50%
The Delaware Valley Accountable Care Organization (ACO) has leveraged a comprehensive, community-based palliative care program developed by its partner Main Line Health to reduce costs of care by $9,000 per eligible patient.
Among Delaware Valley’s palliative care recipients, hospital admissions were 50% lower and emergency department visits fell by 35%, generating about $9,000 in savings per patient during the last 90 days of life, according to Beth Souder, the ACO’s vice president of clinical operations.
Delaware Valley ACO CEO Mark Angelo on the future of value-based care
Delaware Valley ACO CEO Mark Angelo on the future of value-based care
“What we’re doing is changing the paradigm of care,” Angelo said.
Read Mark's projections for the future of value-based care in a recent interview on Healthcare Brew responding to the following questions:
- How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in healthcare?
- What would you consider the most challenging part of your job?
- What healthcare trend are you most optimistic about, and why?
- Do you think the 2030 goal is feasible?
Future Trends to Watch for Value-Based Care
How Main Line Health, Delaware Valley ACO Used Palliative Care to Cut Hospitalizations by 50%
The Delaware Valley Accountable Care Organization (ACO) has leveraged a comprehensive, community-based palliative care program developed by its partner Main Line Health to reduce costs of care by $9,000 per eligible patient. Among Delaware Valley’s palliative care recipients, hospital admissions were 50% lower and emergency department visits fell by 35%, generating about $9,000 in savings per patient during the last 90 days of life, according to Beth Souder, the ACO’s vice president of clinical operations. Read complete article at Hospice News
DVACO Presenting at the ACHE 2023 Congress on Healthcare Leadership!
We are happy to announce that we will be presenting at the ACHE 2023 Congress on Healthcare Leadership! This event features an incredible group of leaders exploring practical solutions to the challenges we face in healthcare today.
Be sure to join us for our presentation Managing Value-Based ACO Performance Focusing on Network Performance and Health Equity Through Advanced Analytics on Wednesday, March 22nd from 3:15-4:15pm. Hope to see you at #ACHECongress! #ACO #POPULATIONHEALTH #VALUEBASEDCARE #DelawareValleyACO #MSSP
Check out the other presenters and sessions here: Congress on healthcare leadership
DVACO Recognizes World Hospice and Palliative Care Day
DVACO Recognizes World Hospice and Palliative Care Day
Saturday, October 8th was World Hospice and Palliative Care Day- World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2022 (thewhpca.org). According to The Worldwide Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance, it is estimated that each year 57 million people are in need of palliative care services worldwide with 25 million people at the end-of-life. The underutilization of these services results in 18 million people dying in unnecessary pain and distress each year. The Delaware Valley Accountable Care Organization’s (DVACO) mission is to accelerate high quality value-based care in the region.
Liz Todd, PT, DPT, DVACO Manager of Care Continuum, said the following:
See the links above for more information on World Hospice and Palliative Care Day; DVACO Care Coordination; and DVACO’s Preferred Hospice Network, respectively.
DVACO Recognizes 2022 Healthcare Quality Week
Healthcare Quality Week is celebrated each year during the third week in October. The week is dedicated to acknowledging the progress made by healthcare quality professionals and the work they do to improve patient outcomes. This special time also allows for reflection on past successes, and preparation for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Each day, healthcare quality professionals focus on enhancing patient care and improving outcomes and value. They work in every area of healthcare. Healthcare quality roles include patient safety, regulation, accreditation, analytics, quality review, just to name a few. At the center of the recognition is the acknowledgement of healthcare professionals who strive for a safe, quality patient experience throughout the industry. The week also focuses on education, quality activities and allows for sharing both tools and protocols, such as the free webinars offered by the National Association of Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) Free NAHQ webinars. All activities are designed to improve outcomes and provide the highest quality care possible.
DVACO Quality Improvement Team
Lauren Talley, Kim Burgess, Tina Sokolowski, Toni Arnold
Beth Souder, Emma Myers, Ginna Bodycot, Jeanette Flood
Payton Watts, Sherrie Eisman, Juli Gruber-May, Gina Gibson
Nancy Welsh, Vicki Vitacco Hansell, Terry Tull
Kyle Brown, Emmy Stup, Nhi Tran, Jennifer Pawlowski
(top to bottom, left to right)
Delaware Valley ACO Recognized by The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania
Radnor, PA September 21, 2020 Delaware Valley ACO and its parent organizations, Main Line Health and Jefferson Health, were recognized for their collective work to create an innovative collaborative post-acute care strategy by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (“HAP”). The “2020 Living the Vision Achievement Award” was presented to DVACO and its owners at HAP’s 2020 Patient Safety and Quality Symposium, held virtually September 9-10, 2020.
HAP’s prestigious “Living the Vision Award” recognizes one project that demonstrates accomplishments in all dimensions of the health care “Triple Aim” of improving community health and patient experience, while reducing health care costs. HAP selected DVACO and its owners from among 131 entrants for this honor.
The ACO’s Post Acute Care (“PAC”) Steering Committee, led by Beth Souder, PT, MSPT, DVACO Interim Vice President for Clinical Operations, and comprised of clinical leaders from DVACO, Jefferson Health and Main Line Health, were instrumental in identifying the improvements that led to led to this recognition.
Reflecting on this accomplishment and the work ahead, Ms. Souder stated:
“As the vehicle by which Jefferson Health System and Main Line Health System choose to collaborate on population health and value-based care, it is a true honor to have our collective work recognized and rewarded by HAP with the “Living the Vision Award”. Two large hospital health systems in the Delaware Valley having an aligned, data driven, evidence-based post acute strategy focused on improving value is a win-win situation. It benefits our patients, our post-acute partners, our physicians, our hospital partners and our payor partners.”
This is the third major award for DVACO’s groundbreaking work in post acute services, with work previously recognized by the National Association of ACOs and MCG Health.
Learn more about the 2020 Living the Vision Achievement Award
Read more in Pennsylvania ACO’s Post-Acute Care Strategy Reinforces Best Practices by David Raths