The accountable care organization is loosely defined as a collection of doctors hospitals and other providers who agree to take financial responsibility for the quality of care Proponents argue they have great potential to improve healthcare value More >>

CMS yesterday unveiled a new model for ACOs as part of an attempt to make … More >>

The first of its kind in the nation, the all-payer accountable care organization (ACO) model allows Vermont the opportunity to create a transformative payment model that moves all payers (Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial) towards a prospective, value-based reimbursement system holding providers, operating through one or more ACOs, and the State of Vermont, accountable for population health outcomes. A joint state and federal initiative designed to transform how health care is paid for and delivered in Vermont, the model agreement is the culmination of nearly two years of discussion and negotiation between the Governor of Vermont, the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Vermont Agency of Human Services, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Green Mountain Care Board (Vermont’s quasi-judicial, independent body responsible for health care regulation and reform). More >>

Serving patients eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid will allow ACOs to expand the services they offer, some say. More >>

While the future of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, is quite uncertain, parts of the famous healthcare reform act likely will have a lasting impact. “The transformative opportunity here is all about the reimbursement shift from fee-for-service to the accountable care model, with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services the major driver behind it,” said John Sculley, chairman of the board and chief marketing officer at RxAdvance who previously served as CEO of Apple and PepsiCo. “And as we know there are hundreds of accountable care organizations out there, some operating under one definition and some under others. This is an evolving thing.” More >>

In January, Vermont will become the first state in the nation to move to a voluntary all-payer accountable care organization model, the CMS announced Wednesday. The Vermont program is modeled after a similar one from Maryland, but the Maryland program covers only hospitals. More >>

Over the past several years Ive helped dozens of health systems optimize their EHRs to be able to better manage clinical and financial risk in their ACOs In the process Ive observed that many system executives dont fully understand the risk-adjustment concepts that determine value-based payment under MSSP (or other Medicare programs) Often their ACO strategies sufferor completely stallas a result More >>

Researchers compared commercial and noncommercial (Medicare or Medicaid) ACOs in a broad range of areas including organizational structure, outcomes, provider compensation, and efficiency. More >>

Reprint Mount Pleasant Texas-based Titus Regional Medical Center (TRMC) is the latest victim of a cyberattack of its electronic health record system, with ransomware making it inaccessible, according to an article  in The Daily Tribune. The ransomware virus has encrypted files on several of TRMC's data base services, blocking TRMC's ability to enter or retrieve patient data in EHR. TRMC has implemented a conditional Hospital Incident Command System, and brought in a forensic specialist to deal with the problem. More >>

St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua, N.H., is making its first foray into accountable care not because of a risk-based contract with an outside payer, but because it self-insures employees, and thus was already at financial risk for the health of many of its patients. More >>