Healthcare Reform - What is an ACO (Accountable Care Organization)?

Posted by Rick Lindquist on Thu, Dec 30, 2010 @ 03:15 AM

Overview of ACOs (Accountable Care Organizations) and Healthcare Reform

Beginning in 2012, the Healthcare Reform's Affordable Care Act is requiring Medicare to use Accountable Care Health Reform Accountable Care Organizations Organizations (ACOs) in an attempt to slow the rise of health care costs. So, what's an ACO?

An ACO is a vehicle for paying teams of health care providers to care for patients, instead of paying for care one service at a time. An ACO limits health care providers’ financial relationships with other providers.

Proponents of ACOs (Accountable Care Organizations)

Proponents of ACOs argue that the programs provide:

Personalized care management and support
Technology that connects doctors with patient information and medical evidence
Financial incentives that reward doctors who work hard to provide good care for patients with chronic conditions and doctors whose patients’ health improves

Opponents of ACOs (Accountable Care Organizations)

Opponents of ACOs argue that the programs provide:

People may not know their doctor or hospital is part of an ACO
The Government incentivizing health care treatment may be not best for the patient
Potential for patients to be denied treatments because of cost considerations

What do you think?

Note: This should not be taken as legal or tax advice.

Tags: health care reform, accountable care organizations

Comments

The first new rule says you HAVE to have insurance. Both my husband and I have pre-existing conditions, and although the new bill says we can't be denied coverage because of it. So far, the cheapest health insurance we've been able to find is called "Wise Health Insurance" search for it online if you are pre-existing conditions.

Posted @ Friday, April 06, 2012 4:20 PM by markandersone

What a singular concept. Accountable Care Organizations could be real effective especially if they could require a comprehensive overview of the best options for all conditions including what is referred to as Complimentary and Alternative (CAM) health practices. For examply diabetic foot problems that usually result in chronic numbness and pain and eventual amputations. This common and epidemic lifestyle disease is currently only treated with drugs to reduce the symptoms (pain) of the problems and then the eventual staged amputations will cost the system approximately $120,000 per person. New clinical research has shown that there are new approaches to this problems with products that are non medical and referred to as complimentary health modalities. There is no one to tell the patients that they should try or at least learn about these new non medical and very inexpensive approaches as our medical intervention system rely's on keeping a calendar full for foot treatments and surgical proceedures not teaching patients how not to need their services in the future. That is good for the bottom line bad for the patient and the system that pays for it. Respectfully, Dennis F

Posted @ Friday, April 06, 2012 4:20 PM by Dennis Frappier

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