Dr. Daniel Agona Celebrates 20 Years in Practice
Chiropractic Practice Earning Recognition As Top Performing in National Patient-Centered Program
First Chiropractic Center led by Dr. Thomas D. Stotz of Yankton, South Dakota, becomes the first chiropractic organization to achieve NCQA Patient-Centered Connected Care Recognition.
BROOKINGS, SD — The Best Practices Academy™ is proud to announce that First Chiropractic Center of Yankton, South Dakota has achieved the Patient-Centered Connected Care™ Recognition, a program launched by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Thomas D. Stotz, DC, FACO, FICC, James C. Fitzgerald, DC, FICC, Sheila K. Fitzgerald, DC, Thomas J. Stotz, DC, achieved recognition for their practices located at Yankton, SD, Scotland, SD, and Bloomfield, NE.
In an effort to promote improved working relationships between medical and chiropractic providers, program training focused on integrated shared care planning, with providers working together for the best outcome for the patient. A growing number of choices are available for healthcare consumers in selecting care beyond a traditional primary care physician. Patient-Centered Connected Care™ recognizes this fact and ambulatory care providers that communicate and connect with other primary care providers as they deliver care to shared patients.
“We are very excited to bring value forward to patient care through this process”, says Dr. Scott Munsterman, CEO of the Best Practices Academy; “As health care delivery enters into a new phase of accountability, it is our goal to be a resource to the practices and partner with them on this journey. Dr. Stotz and his team at First Chiropractic are the first chiropractic physician practice in the nation to achieve this prestigious status and have earned the NCQA seal.”
Dr. Tom Stotz states, “It is such an honor to receive this recognition. As more chiropractic clinicians across the country receive this recognition, we are establishing that the chiropractor can and will be an important part of the health care team. As clinical quality measures and reduced costs to the system become a more significant factor, chiropractors will be able to provide collaborative care with other primary care physicians for the betterment of our patients.”
Value is important in the health care system. Insurance payers and states are increasingly rewarding practitioners who provide improved patient care and cost savings. The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model of care — one in which care is centrally coordinated and tracked by one primary care provider — has become the standard by which primary care can achieve better patient care and lower costs.
“The American Chiropractic Association congratulates Dr. Tom Stotz and the team at First Chiropractic Center for this landmark achievement for the profession. We appreciate the NCQA for their willingness to include chiropractic physicians in their newly developed Patient-Centered Connected Care Recognition program. Patient-centered, evidence-based, value-driven health care delivery is rapidly becoming the model of care preferred by both private and public payers. Best Practices Academy is to be commended for their collective foresight,” says Anthony W. Hamm, DC, FACO, ACA president.
“Avera Medical Group embraces an integrated, team-based model of care and applauds the NCQA for developing a program that evaluates outpatient sites, such as First Chiropractic Center, for clinical integration and communication, that creates a roadmap for how sites delivering intermittent or outpatient treatment-but do not act as the primary care provider for a majority of its patients-can effectively communicate and connect with primary care,” said Tad Jacobs, DO, Chief Medical Officer, Avera Medical Group. “At Avera, we understand that consumers want working relationships between their physicians and their chiropractors. In fact, Avera Medical Group approved guidelines for integrating chiropractors into our team-based care model this year and will be working toward including chiropractors over the coming months.”
About Best Practices Academy
Best Practices Academy™, a healthcare services organization, provides focused leadership in the health care delivery system to improve clinical expertise and enhance practice efficiency. The Academy serves through a wide range of collaboration and shared knowledge with accountable care organizations, medical and chiropractic professional communities and independent practices and health systems.
The Best Practices Academy's Primary Care Collaboration training provides the conduit for meaningful professional collaborations among the chiropractic and healthcare community. Chiropractic physicians involved in the collaboration are preparing for value-based care and have achieved advance level of practice including PQRS, meaningful use reporting of an electronic health record, evidence-informed practices, and recognition by NCQA's Patient-Centered Connected Care™ program or by the AAAHC. Altogether, the program provides a trusted source for patient referrals and collaboration.
About NCQA
NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. For over 25 years, NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA's website (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.
*HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
Dr. Daniel Agona (1995) and his wife Amy Agona of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, are celebrating their 20th year in practice at the Agona Center of Wellness. Dr. Agona has been a wellness practitioner since 1996 when he started his own practice in White Oak, Pennsylvania. He utilizes the newest technologies and therapies to optimize his patient's health and wellness.
Pictured: Dr. Daniel Argona and his wife Amy Agona at his practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Alumni News Cont.