May 22, 2020 – Memorial Healthcare System has acquired Broward Guardian, a Medicare accountable care organization (ACO) composed of mostly primary care physicians in South Florida. This acquisition allows Memorial to support the continued development of a vibrant network of community-based, primary care physicians to coordinate care for Medicare patients, while providing physicians the necessary resources to become successful in the emerging value-based healthcare model.
With Memorial’s full operational support, Broward Guardian is poised to expand its network of participating primary care physicians across South Florida, helping the community based, independent physicians strengthen their own practices and focus on a population health approach.
“We’re positioned to collaborate with, and provide the ACO and its physicians, with enhanced care coordination and technological resources that will further support their drive to continuously improve the care and cost efficiency for patients in the community,” said Memorial Healthcare System President and CEO Aurelio M. Fernandez III.
Broward Guardian patients will benefit from enhanced coordinated care with nurses and social workers providing chronic condition management and support for socioeconomic needs, which are often barriers to accessing care. From an operational perspective, Broward Guardian’s physician network will be able to access retrospective, predictive and actionable analytics on cost and quality for its population. All of these efforts aim to facilitate coordinated delivery of care, while limiting unnecessary spending, in what is the cornerstone of where a patient’s care begins – primary care.
“Memorial Healthcare System is committed to maintaining the health and well-being of our communities and empowering physicians and patients with all the resources required to proactively address medical issues within the context of population health before they become bigger problems,” said Matt Muhart, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Memorial Healthcare System. “We’ve long embraced value-based healthcare and seized the opportunity to invest in an optimal infrastructure that helps elevate the delivery of care.”
The acquisition allows Memorial to facilitate a strong environment of collaboration, clinical integration, and innovation while continuing to support physician independence.
“Broward Guardian was formed to help primary care physicians build experience in value-based care and strengthen primary care practices,” said John Harkins, Broward Guardian’s executive director. “Fully joining Memorial Healthcare System is an important and exciting next step that will provide our doctors with the infrastructure that will be required to thrive in the time to come.”
About Broward Guardian:
Broward Guardian was formed in 2013 as a primary care focused organization and began as a Track 1 ACO in 2014 in the Medicare Shared Savings Program. Broward Guardian advanced to a Track 3 ACO in the Medicare Shared Savings Program in 2017. Currently, there are 42 ACO participants and 795 ACO providers and suppliers with approximately 9,000 Medicare beneficiaries attributed to Broward Guardian ACO.
Memorial Healthcare System is one of the largest public healthcare systems in the U.S.
and a national leader in quality care and patient satisfaction. It is highly regarded for a patient and family-centered approach at facilities that include Memorial Regional Hospital, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Memorial Regional Hospital South, Memorial Hospital West, Memorial Hospital Miramar, Memorial Hospital Pembroke, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Health Specialty Center in Wellington, and Memorial Manor nursing home.
Among the many awards and recognition it has earned are Modern Healthcare magazine’s “Best Place to Work in Healthcare,” Florida Trend’s “Florida’s Best Companies to Work For,” and Becker’s Hospital Review’s “150 Great Places to Work in Healthcare.” In a recent report (“Humanizing Brand Experience”), the Denver-based consulting firm Monigle named Memorial the top health system brand in America, based on consumer surveys.
