ACOs by Heleni Smith

Heleni Smith Writings
Heleni Smith Blog

ACOs have been generating alot of media buzz in the last few months, although the concept is still a bit foggy to many people. Here is a brief explanation of what an ACO is:
An Accountable Care Organization (ACO) is an entity created in order to tackle healthcare quality and rising costs issues. The main purpose of their creation is to simultaneously address payment methods and delivery reform. ACOs are generally a local entity comprised of at least physicians (primary and specialists) and hospitals that are responsible for the full spectrum of care for specific beneficiaries. ACOs provide financial incentives such as shared savings and bonuses for meeting certain predetermined quality measurements.