Physician-only accountable care organizations (ACO), such as urgent care clinics and ambulatory surgical centers, have significant flexibility to contract with allied providers to build the ACO’s network as a new enterprise.
Key takeaways
Key takeaways
- A strong primary care physician base, a willingness to invest in the infrastructure needed to create patient engagement, care coordination to manage at-risk populations and a culture of effective communication; these are critical to an ACO’s success.
- The financial and quality successes of ACOs have greatly improved. An increasing proportion of ACOs have generated savings above their minimum savings rate each year.
- Experienced ACOs have seen success in early detection/early intervention by developing a stable of allied providers to steer patients to the appropriate sites of care.
- Physician-only ACOs have obtained management, information technology, care coordination, and compliance infrastructure thanks to third party vendors accepting contingent payment from a portion of potential shared savings.
- Health insurers and private equity funded management companies have recognized that a properly supported physician ACO can achieve improved quality and lower costs than independent physicians or mere contracting networks.
Summary of ACO final rule
Summary of ACO final rule
Read an overview of a final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, "Medicare Shared Savings Program: Accountable Care Organizations – Pathways to Success Final Rule" (PDF). This summary includes a chart comparing the previous Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO tracks to the ACO tracks in the final rule.
Learn more about ACOs
Learn more about ACOs
Physician Only Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs): An Opportunity to Consider (PDF)
