How Is The Medicare ACO Performance Payment System Structured?: An OPEN MINDS Market Intelligence Report

The singular premise behind the accountable care organization (ACO) model is to lower the cost of care for a population while improving (or at least maintaining) quality of care. More specifically, ACOs are groups of providers, such as physicians and hospital systems that form an agreement to coordinate care for a set group of consumers. If the ACO delivers high quality care, measured through performance metrics, and lowers the cost of providing care against a baseline then the organization receives a portion of the savings generated. ACOs can exist alongside all payment structures (fee-for-service and managed care delivery . . .