Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are designed to?

Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are designed to?

• A. To promote independent practice by physicians without coordination.
• B. To facilitate coordination among providers and hospitals to improve quality of care and reduce costs for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries.
• C. To replace physicians with nurse-led clinics.
• D. To charge higher administrative fees to hospitals.

Answer: (B)

ACOs are designed to align incentives across clinicians and hospitals to coordinate care, improve quality, and reduce costs for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries. They are groups of providers who take collective responsibility for the care of a defined patient population, using care coordination, data sharing, and population-health strategies to prevent unnecessary services. If they meet quality and cost benchmarks, they share in savings with Medicare; if they don’t, they may bear risk. This emphasis on coordinated, value-based care distinguishes ACOs from models that promote fragmented, uncoordinated practice, do not involve replacing physicians with nurse-led clinics, and do not aim to simply raise administrative fees.

ACOs are designed to align incentives across clinicians and hospitals to coordinate care, improve quality, and reduce costs for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries. They are groups of providers who take collective responsibility for the care of a defined patient population, using care coordination, data sharing, and population-health strategies to prevent unnecessary services. If they meet quality and cost benchmarks, they share in savings with Medicare; if they don’t, they may bear risk. This emphasis on coordinated, value-based care distinguishes ACOs from models that promote fragmented, uncoordinated practice, do not involve replacing physicians with nurse-led clinics, and do not aim to simply raise administrative fees.