BUFFALO, N.Y. – A local doctor announced a new organization Thursday that could help make finding and delivering health care services more convenient.
The Greater Buffalo United Accountable Care Organization, or GBUACO, was revealed by Dr. Raul Vazquez, who runs the Urban Family Practice on Niagara Street.
"With GBUACO as an accountable care organization, we take on that duty to manage, to make sure that that patient, when they have a particular problem, they get taken care of at the right place at the right time with the right people," said Vazquez.
The New York State Department of Health authorized GBUACO to operate as a Medicaid and commercial insurance accountable health organization. Vazquez says that will free up doctors to better treat patients.
"You're kind of becoming a physician again,” said Vazquez. “Our description of an [accountable health organization] is kind of eliminating the barriers so that when a doctor says they need a drug, or a test, or whatever it is, it just gets done.”
Vazquez says that could even include treating patients at home, if necessary.
GBUACO will also provide transportation for patients to appointments, and should ease caseloads for health care providers.
The organization should be ready to work with various patient populations, including Medicaid/Medicare patients and commercial payers, by October.