DEERFIELD, Ill. — Baroma Healthcare International LLC, an accountable care organization (ACO) in Miami-Dade County, Fla., is collaborating with Walgreen Co. to reduce hospital readmissions and drive medication adherence.

Baroma has implemented Walgreens’ WellTransitions initiative, a collaborative transition-of-care program that provides ongoing follow-up and patient support during and after discharge from the hospital, to help achieve its goals for readmissions and medication adherence as outlined under a shared savings initiative with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

WellTransitions utilizes such features as real-time patient readmission information and root cause analysis as part of a multi-step process that spans the discharge period. The program has proven instrumental in helping hospitals recognize greater patient satisfaction, better health outcomes and lower costs.

As an ACO, Baroma has chosen to further develop WellTransitions as an ACO-specific tool, with the Walgreens pharmacy team working in collaboration with Baroma and participating physicians to reduce preventable hospital readmission by improving medication adherence.

Separately, WellStar Health System and Walgreens announced a clinical collaboration agreement that will provide coordinated and expanded health care services while improving access to patients in the northwest Atlanta market.

WellStar Urgent Care Centers and physician practices will work with the Healthcare Clinic at selected Walgreens units to handle serious conditions outside of the clinics’ scope of practice and to help manage the treatment of chronic diseases. The collaboration will include direct communication between WellStar physicians and Healthcare Clinic nurse practitioners to facilitate care coordination and sharing of patient information and enhanced awareness of the clinics at selected Walgreens and WellStar services.

“This collaboration extends quality care directly into our communities to provide greater access for patients,” said Reynold Jennings, WellStar president and chief executive officer. “We believe our communities will benefit from this type of collaborative model as we join forces with Walgreens.’’