A PHO (physician hospital organization) is a vehicle that enables hospitals and physicians to work cooperatively toward accomplishing several objectives. The primary purposes of a PHO are to develop improved methods of healthcare delivery, oversee the integration of physicians and hospitals into health delivery networks, assist in voluntary group formation, and collect, analyze, and disseminate information that is valuable for physician practice and patient outcomes.

Members of CentraState’s Medical and Dental Staff are eligible to join the CentraState Healthcare Partners PHO.

Currently nearly half of CentraState’s nearly 700 Medical and Dental Staff members are PHO members. Contact us to learn more about joining.

For CentraState physicians, the PHO provides many member benefits. These include a variety of shared savings and value-based contract opportunities, annual shared savings when the PHO meets its goals, easy access to network resources and population health tools that benefit your practice and your patients, health plan participation as inner circle physicians, access to data that helps enhance care delivery, and cost-savings opportunities related to economies of scale. As our network grows, so do these opportunities!

After initial buy-in when joining the PHO, annual dues are determined at the beginning of each year depending on needs, and they are collected on an annual basis.

Practice Unite, powered by Uniphy Health, is a preferred method of communication for PHO members. Through this secure, HIPAA-compliant smartphone app, CentraState physicians can:

• Quickly and easily link their patients to patient wellness and population health programs available at CentraState’s Star and Barry Tobias Health Awareness Center. These evidence-based programs feature registered nurse health coaches who serve as a virtual arm of the physician practice.
• Access additional tools that include CentraState directories, secure messaging, and alerts.

For assistance in downloading Practice Unite, contact us.

Population health strategies foster health and wellness across the population, particularly among those at risk for chronic diseases. CentraState places a strong focus on developing targeted population health initiatives to keep people well longer, address risk factors before they become chronic diseases, reduce hospitalization and readmission rates, and drive down healthcare costs. By partnering with physicians to help patients make lasting lifestyle changes, these strategies serve as a virtual arm of the physician practice, ultimately improving clinical outcomes. CentraState’s population health resources are accessible at the touch of a smartphone app through Practice Unite.

If you’re not yet a member of the CentraState Healthcare Partners PHO, contact us to learn more about joining. If you’re a member who would like to be more involved, consider joining one of our committees. If you have general feedback or would like to be involved in other ways, we welcome your input.