Page 9 - Delaware Medical Journal - March 2018
P. 9
PRESIDENT’S PAGE
RICHARD W. HENDERSON, MD
MSD President Richard W. Henderson, MD is an Obstetrician and Gynecologist who practices at Saint Francis Healthcare.
MedNet: Back to the Future
Historically, Delaware had been somewhat immune to many of the
health care that were occurring on both the national and regional basis around us. That changed quickly when the DuPont The rest, as they say, is history!
In recognition of the immediate and possible long-term impact of managed care on physician practices and patients, the Medical Society of Delaware (MSD) Board of Trustees commissioned a study — the Managed Care Strategy Initiative — to formulate a path forward in this that MSD could represent its members in a managed care environment by creating physician-led networks. Through these networks, or Physician Organizations (POs), physicians could assume the responsibility and accountability (risk) of delivering care through contracting with a managed care organization (MCO). MedNet was formed to create this possibility and its tag line was: “Enabling Physicians to Lead — Empowering Physicians to Serve.”
Meetings were then held with physicians across the state and four distinct medical
New Castle County, Kent County, Eastern and Western Sussex County — respectively. These became the four POs of MedNet and included approximately is a stock corporation owned by their physician shareholders.
This model caught the attention of the market, including the State of Delaware. In 2005, the decision was made to transition Medicaid to a managed care product. MedNet was successful in negotiating a contract with the state (and other vendors with Medicaid managed care contracts) and provided a fully credentialed state wide network to provide care for this population of patients.
In 2011, responding to both the accelerating pace of change in the health care landscape and the recommendations made during its strategic planning session, the decision was made by MedNet to diversify with the creation
of Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMHs) and practice transformation. These actions attracted the attention of the leadership of Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware (BCBSD), who provided grant funding to MedNet for the creation of across the state.
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