PRIMED

Associates in Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine
501 Kings Highway E., Fairfield, CT

In the spirit of the holiday season, PriMed providers and MED3OOO employees donated over 100 items including sleeping bags and bedtime bags for a Sleeping Bag Give-Away event held on December 15 by the Bridgeport Rescue Mission.  Two-thousand coats, 200 sleeping bags and 500 gift bags were distributed to the homeless and working poor at the event.

Healthcare providers from PriMed, a multi-specialty physician group with over 115 providers and 37 locations in Connecticut and employees of MED3OOO, a national provider of healthcare management and technology services with an office in Shelton, participated in the donation campaign.  Employees filled 48 children’s bags with stuffed animals, books and toothbrushes and toothpaste as well as collected 56 sleeping bags, winter coats and other misc. items for the event.

Arthritis & Rheumatism Associates
5520 Park Ave, Trumbull, CT

“Bridgeport Rescue Mission is truly grateful for these gifts which not only warmed weary bodies but warmed hearts as well.  This outpouring of generosity tells our residents and guests that they’re cared for and loved,” said Bridgeport Rescue Mission Executive Director Terry Wilcox.

“The success of this campaign depended on the generosity of the employees and this surely was the case in their donation of so many items such as sleeping bags, children’s bags and coats.  Giving back to those in need in our community is truly a rewarding experience for us,” said PriMed’s Director of Practice Development Stacey Porto.

MED3OOO Employees
3 Enterprise Dr., Shelton, CT

Dr. John Maiocco’s Office
4699 Main St.
Bridgeport, CT

Drs. Larry Novik, Lenore Snowden and
Kellie Watkins-Colwell
325 Reef Rd., Fairfield, CT

PriMed, Multi-Specialty Physician Group, to Receive Advanced Payments from the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to Help in Building Group’s ACO  Infrastructure for High Quality Patient Care Coordination  

Shelton, CT, September 06, 2012 – PriMed, LLC, a multi-specialty physician group of over 115 providers and 36 locations in Connecticut, has been selected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to participate in the Advance Payment ACO (Accountable Care Organization) Model.  The Advance Payment ACO Model is designed for physician-based and rural providers, according to CMS, who collaborate to provide coordinated high quality care to the Medicare patients they serve.  Participants in the model (PriMed is one of 20 selected in the country) receive funding for important investments in their ACO infrastructure to enhance patient care coordination.

PriMed’s selection for the Advance Payment ACO Model comes on the heels of its July announcement of its participation in Medicare’s Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organization (ACO), a multifaceted new program sponsored by CMS.  Through the Shared Savings Program, PriMed, LLC will work with CMS to reduce the growth of Medicare costs while meeting performance standards on quality of care for patients.

“We are delighted and proud to be participating in the Advance Payment ACO Model with Medicare and view this as a significant accomplishment and milestone for our group,” said PriMed’s President & CEO Dr. Amit Rastogi.  “For PriMed it means that we will now be able to invest in technology and internal processes that will further benefit the health and well-being of our patients.”

PriMed, physician-owned and led, based in southwestern Connecticut, has a network of doctors who agree to provide high-quality and efficient care by focusing on preventive medicine, wellness, population health management, and care coordination, the essence of what is called an Accountable Care Organization (ACO).

Some highlights of the ACO model are:

• Patients’ care is based in a clinically-integrated, team approach to include physicians, advanced nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who are committed to patients’ overall health care needs.  This commitment is shown in strong affiliations with hospitals, medical technology innovation, use of electronic health care records for communication between doctors, and      continuous patient satisfaction improvement, to name some.
• Physicians share patient information such as medical records, which can eliminate duplicative and unnecessary tests and procedures.  This also lessens a patient’s frustration with having to provide the same information to various doctors.  However, it’s important to note that patients are free to choose providers outside the ACO.
• Patients typically have access to an array of clinical specialists from ear, nose and throat to endocrinology and metabolism to nutrition such as in the PriMed group.  Also, for example, PriMed has advanced diagnostic treatment centers including a fully-accredited sleep center and an endoscopic and cardiac testing center.

“The shift that is happening in healthcare from a fragmented system to one that is focused on collaboration will improve patient care significantly,” said PriMed’s Medical Director Arnold DoRosario, M.D.  “Systematic tools and processes inherent in the ACO model bridges communication between primary care doctors and specialists, which is critical in the effectiveness of patient treatments and outcomes.”

Associates in Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine, a PriMed Group, 501 Kings Highway, Fairfield, CT

In response to the Bridgeport Rescue Mission’s critical need for essential and often costly toiletry items for homeless guests, PriMed and MED3000 employees rallied together and donated over 50 care packages to the Rescue Mission.

Healthcare providers from PriMed, a multi-specialty physician’s group with over 110 providers and 36 locations in Connecticut and employees from MED3OOO, a national provider of healthcare management and technology services with an office in Shelton, filled backpacks and tote bags with items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, laundry detergent, dish soap, and winter hats and gloves in a Christmas Compassion in Action campaign.

“Bridgeport Rescue Mission is truly grateful for this donation of these practical and much-needed items for the men and women in our shelters.  More importantly, these gifts tell our residents and guests that they’re cared for and loved,” said Bridgeport Rescue Mission Executive Director Terry Wilcox.

PriMed Physician Dr. John L. Maiocco's Podiatric Medicine & Surgery Office, 4699 Main St., Bridgeport, CT

“In these tough economic times so many families have a limited income and even no income.  We wanted to help lighten the financial load by donating these critical items and also enjoy the rewarding experience of giving back to our community,” said PriMed’s Director of Practice Development Stacey Porto.

With the mission of fighting poverty from the inside out by providing a place of hope and dignity through a yearlong educational program, biblical counseling and case management, the Bridgeport Rescue Mission provided, from January to December 2011, 40,150 nights of shelter (an average of 110 per night) and 610,011 meals (an average of 1,671 per day).  They provide meals to students in a yearlong recovery program, overnight guests, and low income members of the community who come to their doors on a daily basis for a warm meal or meals.

For more information on the Bridgeport Rescue Mission, visit www.bridgeportrescuemission.org.

PriMed Physician Dr. Larry Novik's Family Medicine Office, 325 Reef Road, Fairfield, CT

PriMed Physicians R. Scott Prewitt, M.D. and Michael Connolly, M.D., Pediatrics & Internal Medicine Office, 2900 Main Street, Stratford, CT