A new study led by researchers from the The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice examines the extent and ways in which accountable care organizations (ACOs) involve hospitals in their operations. Accountable care organizations are groups of providers that are collectively held responsible for the care of a defined population of patients, and the study's authors state that the extent to which ACOs involve hospitals in their operations may 'prove to be vitally important, because managing hospital care is a key part of improving health care quality and lowering cost growth.'
Using data from the National Survey of Accountable Care Organizations and the Leavitt Partners ACO Database, the study analyzed the types of hospitals participating in ACOs to determine whether they differed from those not participating. The study, which was published in the March issue of Health Affairs , then utilized interviews with key ACO personal (predominantly chief medical officers) to examine the advantages and disadvantages of hospital participation in ACOs.
Among the study's key findings regarding the types of hospitals participating in ACOs:
Advantages of including a hospital:
The study's authors, Carrie Colla, Valerie Lewis, Emily Tierney and David Muhlestein, conclude that policymakers have the ability to negate some of the perceived disadvantages of forming an ACO without a hospital by providing access to capital and support for implementing health information exchange systems. They also note that for ACOs to meet quality and cost goals it will be 'important to ensure broader and more consistent participation of different types of providers in the model.'
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Health Affairs