The recently released North Carolina Medicaid reform proposal positions accountable care organizations (ACOs) as the backbone of the state’s plan. The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) is a leader in this arena – both in providing education and resources to our members on value-driven health care and in working with the state to develop a viable plan to truly reform the system.

The NC Department of Health and Human Services recently featured John Meier, MD, of Key Physicians in its newsletter detailing a meeting between Dr. Meier, an NCMS Foundation Leadership College alumnus, other NCMS staff and NCDHHS Secretary Aldona Wos and her staff to discuss the state’s proposal.

NCMS CEO Bob Seligson has been featured in many media reports on the state’s proposal and its evolution over time. He will be participating in a panel discussion on Charlotte Talks on WFAE, 90.7 FM radio on April 18. Melanie Phelps, associate executive director of the NCMS Foundation and NCMS deputy general counsel, who has been working to educate our members and other health care stakeholders about value-driven health care and how ACOs fit as a model of health care delivery reform, spoke with WUNC radio reporter Jessica Jones about the state’s plan last week. Listen to that report here.

Phelps has spearheaded the Toward Accountable Care (TAC) Consortium and Initiative, and oversees the NC ACO Collaborative. Visit the TAC website to learn more about ACOs and the important leadership role all physicians have in this model and to access a variety of resources.