If you ask health care leaders what they think about Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), you won’t be short on answers, writes Samantha DuPont of the Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy, in a recent article and video on the Institute website.
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, ACOs are formed by groups of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers, coming together to provide coordinated high quality care to their patients.
Early ACOs have had mixed success, and in light of emerging research questions remain as to whether or not they will result in comprehensive delivery system and payment reform that is sustainable.
DuPont chronicles the six themes that emerged from the Institute’s work in asking leaders from across the nation their burning questions about ACOs:
1. What do ACOs look like today?
2. What factors will lead to ACO success?
2. Are current financial incentives strong enough to change provider behavior?
4. Will ACOs integrate with other types of caregivers?
5. Will ACOs successfully engage their patients?
6. What metrics will effectively measure quality?
