Arizona Care Network named Dr. Ed Clarke, a primary care physician who has experience leading clinically integrated health networks, as chief medical officer.
Clarke is responsible for the clinical performance of the 5,000-clinician network and will partner with members to achieve the quadruple aim of improving the quality of patient care, managing the cost of care, enhancing the overall patient experience and improving clinician satisfaction.
He served in a similar role for the 1,500-provider Banner Medical Group in Arizona and Colorado, and before that as a physician informaticist. He is board certified in Family Medicine, with additional certification in Sports Medicine.
“Dr. Clarke has a successful track record of partnering with physicians to achieve transformational improvements in patient care,” said Dr. David Hanekom, ACN’s CEO.
Clarke will lead improvements to the network’s infrastructure, including new technology tools to improve quality, safety, service, and satisfaction. Under his direction, ACN also will introduce a new care management program tailored to patients’ conditions and risk factors, and provide a comprehensive and actionable scorecard to help physicians track their performance.
“Physicians are being asked to practice healthcare in new and different ways based on government programs, changes to the payer landscape and patient expectations,” Clarke said. “I look forward to working hand-in-hand with them to make navigating a complex environment easier and more effective.”
ACN was established in 2012 to change the landscape of healthcare in Arizona. The organization’s Medicare Shared Savings Program has served as the backdrop for rapid growth in its provider network, which includes robust primary care, specialty, outpatient and hospital-based services.
Today, in affiliation with Phoenix Children’s Care Network, ACN has grown to more than 5,000 clinicians who care for adult and pediatric patients in Maricopa and Pinal counties through contracts with commercial health plans, government payers at the federal and state level, and self-funded employers.
In 2015, ACN earned a 96.2 percent score for quality patient care under its Medicare Shared Savings Program, a 17 percent increase from the previous year and one of the highest performance scores among Arizona ACOs.
Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) named the organization one of 27 new ACOs that will participate in the Next Generation ACO model, serving nearly 35,000 Medicare beneficiaries throughout the Valley with high quality, coordinated care.
