The beginning of ACO

In 2011, the US Department of Health and Human Resources has proposed the guidelines for Accountable Care Organization (ACO) under the Medicare shared saving Program. The Patient Protection and Affordable Act authorizes CMS to create the MSSP that help doctors, hospitals and other health care provider in coordinating care for Medicare patients through ACO. An ACO is a network of group of provider and suppliers who work together to provide high-quality care for the Medicare Fee-for service patients they serve. Fisher developed the ACO model under which private hospitals and organization can be grouped into the virtual organization that is accountable for cost and quality of the range of care services delivered to Medicare patients. ACO work to provide high-quality care to Medicare enrollees while simultaneously reducing health care costs. ACO is accountable to beneficiaries of Medicare for cost, quality and care. Until now, eight private health insurance plans have entered with provider into ACO agreements that share a payment risk model. Keeping the cost below a benchmark will make providers eligible for bonuses and incentives.

Objectives of ACO

The main goal of ACO is to provide efficient, accessible and coordinated care to patients it serves. ACO assures that care is delivered in a cultural component manner. The organization aims to deliver seamless supreme quality care by improving the experience to beneficiaries of Medicare. In ACO, the beneficiaries and providers work as true partners in ACO's care decision-making process. The satisfaction of patients by delivering coordinated health care is the main objective of ACO. Doctors and Hospitals associated with ACO communicate with each other and patient to make assure that the patient when sick get full, timely care and support to stay healthy. The ACO is an idea to encourage steps to improve care management. ACO aims to create fully coordinated care systems. The organization encourages quality performance by providing high-quality service and simultaneously financially rewarding those providers who meet agreed upon performance on a specific quality measures. ACO reduces duplication of services between providers, promote patient engagement, investing in infrastructure such as health information technology, redesigning of care processes and practicing with adherence to clinical evidence to know the best treatment.