Christiana Care Health System is one of the largest health care providers in the mid-Atlantic, serving all of Delaware and parts of PA, MD and NJ.

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Board Certified in Internal Medicine from American Board of Internal Medicine, 2011

ChristianaCare's Delaware Medicaid Partners Accountable Care Organization - also known as an ACO - has set the standard for innovative, high-quality care at lower costs.On this week's episode of For the Love of Health, Dr. Christine Donohue-Henry, ChristianaCare Chief Population Health Officer, and Dr. Rose Kakoza, Senior Medical Director for ChristianaCare's Medicaid ACO, share how this value-based care is changing the lives of Delaware's Medicaid population and highlight how a fundamental shift from illness treatment to disease prevention is helping to drive down costs and keeping communities healthier.Christine Donohue-Henry, M.D., MBA is the Chief Population Health Officer at ChristianaCare and the President of eBrightHealth ACO and the ChristianaCare Clinical Alliance. Dr. Donohue-Henry is responsible for value-based care within the health system and the clinically integrated network, driving clinical quality and reducing the total cost of care.Rose Kakoza, M.D., MPH serves as Senior Clinical Network Director for Population Health and Medical Director for ChristianaCare’s Medicaid Accountable Care Organization (Delaware Medicaid Quality Partners). Dr. Kakoza also oversees CareVio, Population Health’s case management organization supporting approximately 100,000 risk lives across the clinical network.LinksChristianaCare News - ChristianaCare Reduces Health Care Costs by $6.2 Million While Improving Care for Medicaid PatientsChristianaCare News - ChristianaCare Announces $1.6M Investment in 25 Nonprofits to Improve Community HealthFor the Love of Health - Why Is the Cost of Health Care So Expensive?ChristianaCare Community Health Delaware Medicaid Partners ACOCareVio Care Management ProgramDelaware Health and Social Services Medicaid ResourcesThanks for listening and subscribing! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

Transforming Care for Delaware's Most Vulnerable﻿﻿﻿ Populations  with Dr. Christine Donohue-Henry and Dr. Rose Kokoza

Dr. Rose Kakoza serves as Senior Clinical Network Director for Population Health and Medical Director for the health system’s Medicaid Accountable Care Organization (Delaware Medicaid Quality Partners). Dr. Kakoza also oversees CareVio, Population Health’s case management organization supporting approximately 100,000 risk lives across the clinical network. Dr. Kakoza also serves as the physician executive over Complex Primary Care and Community Medicine, overseeing ChristianaCare’s primary care practices and programs that target underserved populations.

Primary Care

Primary Care Delivery Reform

Population Health

High Risk Population Management

Downloadable Photos of Dr. Rose Kakoza

Delaware launching Accountable Care Organizations to serve Medicaid patients

ChristianaCare to launch Delaware Medicaid Quality Partners ACO

ChristianaCare expands COVID-19 testing for communities in Wilmington

Health care is about more than broken bones and blood pressure readings. Join For the Love of Health hosts Megan McGuriman and Jason Tokarski every other Thursday for engaging conversations about fascinating treatments, innovative programs, groundbreaking research and cutting-edge technology. Learn how medical experts are creating health today and delivering the care of tomorrow.

For the Love of Health

christianacare-reduces-health-care-costs-by-62-million-while-improving-care-for-medicaid-patients

Proven care management model delivers cost savings and quality improvement to state while addressing health inequities

Senior Clinical Network Director, Population Health

Chief Population Health Officer

ChristianaCare’s Delaware Medicaid Partners Accountable Care Organization (ACO) has set the standard for innovative, high-quality care at lower cost for the State of Delaware’s Medicaid population. According to the most recent data available, ChristianaCare’s ACO reduced health care spending by $6.2 million in 2023 while improving care for nearly 30,000 Medicaid beneficiaries in Delaware, including approximately 8,000 children.

 “We’re demonstrating that population health works,” said Christine Donohue-Henry, M.D., MBA, chief population health officer, ChristianaCare. “Our neighbors count on us to take care of them — and we can improve their health while also helping the state reduce health care costs. We do this by delivering high-quality care that emphasizes preventive care and proactive management of health conditions, and by investing in our population health infrastructure.

“In this way, we can keep people healthier and reduce the need for them to access the most expensive kinds of care, such as emergency care and hospitalization.”

ChristianaCare’s Medicaid ACO includes more than 1,900 primary and specialty care clinicians who partner with patients and families to prevent illness, manage chronic diseases and help them achieve their health goals. The ACO makes it easy for adults and children to get the screenings and treatments they need, improving overall health.

ChristianaCare’s Medicaid ACO is one of four authorized by the State of Delaware and the only one to voluntarily accept downside financial risk at its launch in 2021, which means that if ChristianaCare’s Medicaid ACO is not successful in reducing cost and improving care for a particular year, the ChristianaCare ACO is required to make a payment to the state. By sharing in both savings and losses, the ACO controls state health care costs while maintaining high-quality care.

Bending the Cost Curve by Focusing on High-Quality Preventive Care Alongside financial savings, ChristianaCare’s Medicaid ACO has improved care quality and worked to reduce health disparities. By focusing on preventive care, the ACO has helped adults and children get the screenings and treatment they need, leading to better health outcomes and fewer unmet needs.

Since launching in 2021, ChristianaCare’s ACO has met all required quality standards and consistently improved its performance each year on key measures like diabetes management, blood pressure control and breast cancer prevention. Year over year, breast cancer screenings have increased by 4%, while patients with high blood pressure (hypertension) have shown improvement in blood pressure control. Notably, healthy blood sugar levels (HbA1c less than 8%) have also improved in patients with diabetes by 7%.

In collaboration with its Medicaid health plan partners, ChristianaCare primary care and imaging teams host patient-centered health and wellness day events to increase access to care, close quality gaps and improve the overall health of the communities they serve. These events help patients get preventive screenings and services, supporting the ACO’s goals of better care and health equity.

The ACO’s success is driven by its focus on caring for entire families, including addressing the needs of pregnant mothers and supporting children and adults throughout their lives, according to Rose Kakoza, M.D., MPH, senior clinical network director, ChristianaCare Clinical Alliance.

Key programs include enhanced maternity care to support mothers and infants, expanded mental health services and social support programs that address food and housing needs. By integrating clinical care with social support — such as help with food and housing — the ACO is working to break cycles of poor health across generations. This approach also has practical benefits. For example, the improved mental health of a parent strengthens the family environment, supporting children’s well-being and development.

“By making significant investments in population health and addressing both medical needs and the social drivers of health, we’ve not only improved health outcomes but also more effectively managed costs for Delaware’s most vulnerable residents, helping to reduce state spending,” Kakoza said.

About Delaware Medicaid Partners Delaware Medicaid Partners ACO, led by ChristianaCare, uses a family-centered approach to save money and improve care for Medicaid patients. By combining medical care with social support, the ACO addresses the unique needs of Medicaid patients, improving health and promoting equity. Care coordination is provided by ChristianaCare’s CareVio®, whose team of nurses, social workers, and pharmacists help patients with serious health conditions get the care they need. CareVio uses real-time data to prevent complications that could lead to unnecessary hospital stays or emergency visits. Through ongoing collaboration and innovation, Delaware Medicaid Partners ACO aims to set an example for other states working to improve care while managing costs.


ChristianaCare Reduces Health Care Costs by $6.2 Million While Improving Care for Medicaid Patients

ChristianaCare's Delaware Medicaid Partners Accountable Care Organization - also known as an ACO - has set the standard for innovative, high-quality care at lower costs.

On this week's episode of For the Love of Health, Dr. Christine Donohue-Henry, ChristianaCare Chief Population Health Officer, and Dr. Rose Kakoza, Senior Medical Director for ChristianaCare's Medicaid ACO, share how this value-based care is changing the lives of Delaware's Medicaid population and highlight how a fundamental shift from illness treatment to disease prevention is helping to drive down costs and keeping communities healthier.

Transforming Care for Delaware's Most Vulnerable﻿﻿﻿ Populations

ChristianaCare Primary Care Provider Dr. Rose Kakoza will be getting her COVID-19 vaccine and encourages you to do the same, along with wearing your mask, washing your hands, and social distancing

Help Stop the Spread, Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Dr. Rose Kakoza

Dr. Rose Kakoza reminds you to wear a mask, wash your hands and stay physically distant to protect yourself against COVID-19.

Protect Yourself Against COVID-19

From Delaware Division of Public Health - DPH
: ChristianaCare Primary Care physician Dr. Rose Kakoza will get her COVID-19 vaccine and encourages you to do the same along with wearing your mask, washing your hands, and social distancing. #CovidVaccineDE #HealthDE

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