Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast announced it signed an agreement with Phoenix-based Healthcare Outcomes Performance Company to improve the quality of musculoskeletal care throughout North Florida, a news release said.
In Northeast Florida, the partnership will include the development of ambulatory surgery centers and the first orthopedic specialty hospital in the region.
The centers and hospital are in the planning stages, said Rob Schreck, vice president of growth and business development for Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast. He did not say when the centers or hospital will open.
The orthopedic specialty hospital will be at the Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside campus.
“The goal is to deliver specialized MSK care that is above and beyond anything provided in the community today,” Schreck said. The partnership will create a “musculoskeletal platform,” which will include musculoskeletal hospital service line management and programs to improve and promote outpatient care.
Ascension and the Healthcare Outcomes company also will develop a clinically integrated network of musculoskeletal physician practices.
A clinically integrated network is one of care providers that work together to deliver “agreed upon, evidence-based, highly consistent care,” said Dr. Jason Scalise, vice chairman for strategy and director of national physician integration for Healthcare Outcomes.
Healthcare Outcomes Performance is a partner with Southeast Orthopedic Specialists, a musculoskeletal provider in Northeast Florida. It is a physician-owned company “focused on transforming the patient care experience and improving the practice of medicine,” its website says.
Southeast Orthopedic will provide doctors for the clinically integrated network, along with those from Ascension and in the community.
“We see this as a way to expand our service offerings both locally and across the Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast market,” Schreck said. “We really see this as a way to develop a network that coordinates the best care for our patients and ultimately to improve outcomes and lower the overall cost of care for the patients that we serve across our community.”