Adfinitas Health hospital partner recognized as top hospital in Maryland

by | Aug 9, 2017

Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) has been recognized as a top hospital in the region by U.S. News & World Report. AAMC was ranked 5th on the list of Best Hospitals in Maryland, out of roughly 60 hospitals across the state. Only 17 of the 60 hospitals in the state met U.S. News’ standards for inclusion in the ranking. AAMC also was recognized as High Performing in six areas: Hip Replacement, Knee Replacement, Lung Cancer Surgery, Heart Failure, Colon Cancer Surgery, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Adfinitas has been a longtime partner to AAMC, providing hospital medicine and quality improvement programs since 2007. “This recognition of AAMC as one of the best hospitals in Maryland speaks to their high standard for patient care and focus on continuous quality improvements. We’ve had a strong relationship with the hospital over the years and are grateful for the opportunity to serve their patients and community,” said Dr. Douglas Mitchell, co-founder and CEO of Adfinitas Health.

AAMC was an early adopter of Adfinitas’ integrated staffing model, where nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PAs) – commonly referred to as Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) – work collaboratively with physicians. “With one of our largest APP programs, we are able to demonstrate the value of our integrated staffing model at AAMC, where nurse practitioners and physician assistants work autonomously under the supervision of a physician. Unlike most other hospitalist groups, we provide extensive clinical training and support to our APPs so that they can effectively work to the top of their license, side-by-side with our physicians,” said Dr. Timothy Capstack, Partner and Director of Clinical Integration for Adfinitas Health. Dr. Capstack also serves as Adfinitas’ Medical Director for hospitalist services at AAMC.

Dr. Capstack is the lead author of a study published in the Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management in October 2017, which showed that Adfinitas’ integrated staffing model at AAMC – with its higher ratio of APPs compared to the peer group at the hospital – achieved the same outcomes for lower cost than the peer group at AAMC. A follow-up study is being planned to determine whether an integrated staffing model has an effect on patient satisfaction. Anecdotally, Capstack has found that patients “are at least as happy being seen by a PA or NP compared with a physician.” He explained that because each type of provider is trained differently and “brings their unique flavor to their patient interactions, some patients really connect more with PAs and NPs.”