This op-ed was originally published in Crain’s Chicago Business on Sept. 28, 2022.
By Dr. Tony Hampton
As a longtime primary care physician who has spent my career working with patients on Chicago’s South Side, I read with interest Joe Cahill’s September 16 column which raises the question – what does health care consolidation mean for patients and communities?
Based on my experience I can wholeheartedly say that, when done right, bigger can be better for patients and communities.
I have seen my patients benefit from new technology and the scaling of best practices created by Advocate Aurora’s growth to date. Based on the organization’s proven track record, I’m confident that the plan to unite with Atrium Health will strengthen our ability to care for local communities.
As a doctor who follows the data when making decisions, I would like to share a few salient points that demonstrate how Advocate Aurora’s growth has improved patient outcomes and positioned us for a better future.
First: We have helped vulnerable patients stay out of the hospital. Following the 2018 Advocate Aurora merger, we reported 30% fewer patient readmissions.
Our system’s growth has given us greater resources to expand population health, advance value-based care and address social factors, all of which improve the health of our communities.
Take, for example, the Advocate Care Center on Chicago’s South Side. The center connects Medicare patients who have multiple chronic conditions with a team of physicians, social workers, nutritionists, physical therapists and other specialists. As a result, we’ve been able to reduce these patients’ visits to the emergency room by 35%.
Second: We have taken great strides to make health care more accessible and equitable, and we’ve started to see big gains.
As part of our focus on advancing population health, we’re integrating in-person or virtual behavioral health services into our primary care clinics to improve patient care and health outcomes. The innovative care delivery model is particularly valuable in communities without access to adequate mental health services.
Additionally, we recorded a 13% reduction in uncontrolled hypertension among a cohort of our Black and Hispanic patients this year, the most recent success of a new system-wide effort to reduce hypertension in our communities of color.
Third: We’ve invested in programs that drive social and economic impact. We’ve added 1,100 new Chicago area jobs, raised the minimum wage to $18 per hour and launched a new collaborative to increase underrepresented populations’ access to quality health care careers through training and placement.
On a personal level, I’ve found that our growing system has enabled me to focus more on my patients’ individual needs and become a better doctor. I’ve benefited from Advocate Aurora’s rollout of a virtual notetaking tool that allows me to fully engage with patients for longer periods of time.
Thanks to the technology, I was able to help a woman with diabetes stop insulin therapy after a decade of treatment elsewhere. She was off the medication just 45 days after we discussed her diet and worked together to identify realistic lifestyle changes.
Change can be hard. But change is also necessary to proactively confront the many challenges facing medicine. Without our 2018 merger, Advocate Aurora would not be as well-positioned to undertake such ambitious and successful efforts to meet the evolving needs of the communities we serve. Having witnessed the benefits of scale, I’m confident that combining with Atrium Health will further our ability to address pressing industry challenges and, ultimately, improve care for local communities, including my patients.
Dr. Tony Hampton is a primary care physician and the medical director of Advocate Trinity Hospital.