In this special farewell episode of BACON, Heather and Mike welcome Dr. Asaf Bitton, keynote speaker for the upcoming MaineHealth ACO Value-Based Care Symposium on May 14. As Executive Director of Ariadne Labs and a leader in primary care innovation, Dr. Bitton shares insights from healthcare systems worldwide and discusses the evolving roles of primary care and specialists in risk-based models.

Be on the lookout for our new podcast, Curbside Consult, in May!

Endocrinologist Stephen Babirak, MD, joins Mike and Heather to discuss how statins can lower cardiovascular disease risk in patients with diabetes, vastly improving their outcomes and extending their lives.

Learn how care managers from the MaineHealth ACO and St. Mary's Hospital in Lewiston are collaborating to increase communication between the hospital and primary care practices to reduce 30-day readmission rates.

MaineHealth Associate Chief Quality Officer Mark Parker, MD, joins Heather and Mike to discuss a promising care variation reduction project that uses the delivery of timely lab results as a lever to improve diagnosis accuracy.

Evidence suggests that older adults age more successfully when they're able to stay in their homes or in their home communities. In this episode of BACON, we talk to gerontologist Dr. Heidi Wierman and healthy aging advocate Jess Maurer to learn how primary care providers can help their patients age in place safely and comfortably. They discuss strategies for working with individual patients and look at ways to engage with, and support, community-based efforts to support healthy aging.

The HPV vaccine has been proven effective in preventing cancer but our vaccination rates could be higher. MaineHealth's Dr. Melissa Keeport and Caroline Zimmerman discuss new guidelines and the role primary care can play in improving rates.

On May 22, the MaineHealth ACO will host the Working Together to Advance Value-Based Care symposium in Freeport, with health policy superstar Dr. Don Berwick headlining as keynote speaker. In this BACON episode, we take a deep dive into one of the symposium's afternoon workshops. Focused on payment bundles for specialty care, the workshop will be led by our two podcast guests, Dr. James Powers and Sue Seekins.

In less than a year, Southern Maine Health Care reduced length of stay by thirteen percent and saved the health system nearly four million dollars. MaineHealth Southern Region Associate Chief Medical Officer Michael Albaum, MD, led the effort and shares his "recipe" for success.

Dr. Kendra Emery, the ACO's Chief Medical Officer, providers her insights and plans for the organization and shares how her vision aligns with ACO priorities.

MaineHealth Medical Group Senior Director for Palliative Care Becca Hutchinson, MD, provides her unique and inspiring perspective on the role of palliative care in medicine today. Dr. Hutchinson recently helped to establish a stand-alone palliative care outpatient practice in Scarborough and is a leading advocate for increasing access to palliative care in northern New England.

Unwarranted care variation is often discussed in terms of its impact on cost. But there's another dimension to care variation that is perhaps more important: its impact on patient safety. In this episode, MaineHealth Medical Group's VP for Quality and Safety, Natisa Dill, discusses variation's profound impact on safety and steps to mitigate it.