March 8, 2024
Daljeet Saluja, MD, family medicine physician and owner and medical director of Saluja Medical Associates, joined Aledade in 2021. His private primary care practice, which has 10 clinicians and three locations, has been serving the Baltimore area for 25+ years. Today, he also serves as a local medical director in his ACO, advising fellow independent practitioners on how to clinically integrate value-based care in their practices.
What motivated your organization to join an Aledade ACO?
Aledade approached me years ago to join the ACO. I was very apprehensive because it sounded too good to be true. Then a colleague joined Aledade and said, “This is something you need to do.” I did it because I trust her.
I’d never been part of an ACO, but I’d been in other physician groups and was skeptical based on my past experience. But Aledade delivered. They give you the tools to stay financially afloat while delivering high quality patient care. And if you use them, you will be successful.
How has being a member of an ACO changed the way your practice approaches patient-centered care?
We’re a better practice for all of our patients now because of Aledade, not just for patients in Medicare, Medicare Advantage or commercial insurance.
We’re able to keep track of our patients with the Aledade App. We know when they had their last annual wellness visit (AWV). We know who their specialists are and the last time they saw them. We know their Emergency Department (ED) utilization, their hospital utilization, if they’re compliant with their medication. We get regular reports and it just makes it so easy for us to manage our patient care now.
Patients love it too. They say, “I didn’t know you knew all that information about me.” I call the information a “report card” with my patients. Now, my patients are more responsible and responsive because they know that we have a way to track everything. They don’t want to get a bad report card.
How has being in an ACO helped your practice navigate changes in value-based care?
As independent practitioners, we typically only know what’s going on within the four walls of our office. Aledade keeps us updated with what’s happening in federal and state policy, what’s going on in the world of Medicare or Medicare Advantage plans or whatever value-based care commercial contracts we have. In working directly with the payers, they negotiate the value-based care agreements for you, and it’s better than what you would get independently on your own.
How has the support provided by your ACO contributed to your organization’s success?
The Aledade App gives us a Huddle Sheet, but we also have a PTS – a practice transformation specialist – to help us with workflows and systems so you can operate smoothly without increasing your workload. They tell me what’s needed to be successful. Then it’s up to me to do the work. But if you do the work, you’re rewarded greatly.
How has being an Aledade member helped your practice improve your financial footing?
The biggest challenge in primary care, especially independent primary care practices, is we feel undervalued for the work we do. We are chronic disease managers. We keep hundreds of thousands of patients out of emergency rooms, out of hospitals, out of nursing homes, allowing our elderly patients to live at home, being as healthy as they can be.
Now, as part of the ACO, at the end of the year, if you do the work and earn shared savings, you say, you know what, it was worth it. I didn’t do it for the money, but it feels good to be recognized. It’s like a kid who worked hard at math in school and then gets an A and a gold star. That gold star has no value, but to get a gold star in front of your peers, that means a lot.
Aledade understands the role we play, and they’ve made Medicare understand the role we play. To be rewarded for our good work is very powerful, and that’s why most Aledade physicians see more shared savings year after year.
Discover how Aledade can help you meet your goals. Click here to start your story.