Emily Barson (@ebarson) is the Executive Director of United States of Care (@USofCare),

Ahmed Haque (@aehaque), Aledade’s SVP of Network Performance & Strategy, returns to the show to talk to Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) about what ACO performance means in relation to quality, utilization and cost. Ahmed covers how value-based contracts enable the best health outcomes for patients and sustainable revenue for physicians, and the impact of COVID-19 on Aledade’s goals and its potential to improve the way care is delivered going forward.

Dr. Mark Martindale, a primary care physician at Saline Med-Peds in Benton, Arkansas, talks with Josh (@DrIsrael) about how he changed his clinic to adapt to COVID-19. From setting up telemedicine and drive-through visits to keeping himself and his staff healthy, Dr. Martindale shares tips for how other practices can implement these changes.

On this episode of the ACO Show, we meet Mike Morgan (@mwmorgan), CEO of Updox, a telehealth platform. He joins Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) to talk about how Updox enables patients to connect with their health care providers by video and text messaging, and why this has become critically important during the COVID-19 epidemic. Aledade has just partnered with Updox to provide over 500+ partner physicians and their patients access to a telehealth platform.

Dr. Daren Anderson is the Director of ConferMED, a program that provides specialist consultations to primary care providers. He is also Director of the Weitzman Institute, an innovation center dedicated to improving primary care for underserved populations and the VP and Chief Quality Officer of Community Health Center, Inc. Dr. Anderson speaks with Josh (@DrJIsrael) about how these programs support care at community health centers, particularly during the COVID-19 epidemic.

On today’s episode, Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) speaks with Dr. Randy Walker and Angie Walker of the Walker Family Clinic in De Queen, Arkansas. They describe how they were able to expand staffing and operating hours at their independent primary care clinic to enable more patients to receive the care they need—and how this has prepared them for the COVID-19 outbreak they are facing right now. They also discuss how they were able to step in and serve their community’s health needs when the only critical access hospital in the area suddenly shut down. 

To learn more about the Walker Clinic, please visit their website or Facebook page.

On this special episode of The ACO Show, Farzad Mostashari (@Farzad_MD), CEO of Aledade, joins Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) and Josh (@DrJIsrael) to talk about the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Mostashari brings his experience in epidemic surveillance to talk about what we can all do to slow the spread of coronavirus and what Aledade is doing to help primary care practices on the front lines care for their patients during this crisis.