Accountable Care Organization – An Essential Part of Healthcare System - Accountable care organization or ACO
is a coordinated care system implemented to pursue improved patient care and reduced
healthcare expenditure with the condition of accountability. It is like an
organizational structure that ensures accountability with the approach of
performance and payment evaluation. Under the legal entity of Medicare, ACO is
the quickly growing trend. Providers and practices are moving to be part of ACO
to provide coordinated and improved patient care and get paid through different
payment models.
Medicare has released some rules that
define eligibility of
providers for ACOs. According to the rules, ACO can include:
- Providers and ACO professionals in group practice arrangements, who meet statuary requirements
- Networks of individual practices
- Hospitals employ ACO professionals
- Hospitals and practices joint ventures with ACO professionals
Medicare will reward those ACOs
through shared saving programs who will demonstrate better patient care and low
growth in health care expenditures while meeting the patient care standards.
The participation in ACO is not compulsory by any mean. It is voluntary action
of providers or practices. It is help of doctors in providing better patient
care and reduces healthcare expenses. If they succeed in this, they will share
the saving with Medicare. This is a major incentive for providers that
encourage them to be part of ACO.
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| Fig. Accountable Care Organization - An Essential Part of Healthcare System |
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