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The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and ACOs

March 18, 2011 /

AccountablecareWhile in Philadelphia earlier this week, my colleague Dr. David Nace presented me with a print copy of McKesson Relay Health’s newest whitepaper — Providing Accountability: Accountable Care Concepts for Providers.  I felt honored as he handed it to me and confided that it was one of only six copies in print.  I took time to read it carefully on the long flight home.

The whitepaper is a great overview of accountable care and ACOs (Accountable Care Organizations). It’s a quick and easily digestible read.

However, there is one key point articulated in the paper that I’d like to emphasize here:

accountable care is not synonymous with ACOs.

Accountable care is the desired end:

The term “accountable care” is often used to describe the desired outcome of health reform, where medical quality is optimized and cost is controlled through new provider organizational arrangements. Medical decisions are based on medical evidence, and providers’ reimbursements are based on patient outcomes and the cost-effectiveness of treatments delivered.

ACOs are one possible and experimental means toward achieving accountable care.

Takeaways:

  • Striving for “accountable care” is the right clinical strategy and business strategy.  There’s no open question here.
  • Will ACOs be successful in a creating “accountable care”? That’s a completely open question. While the ACO concept is promising, there are many moving parts…it’s too soon to tell whether ACOs will be successful.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. Feel free to republish this post with attribution.

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31 Comments

  1. Vince Kuraitis on March 18, 2011 at 12:33 pm

    The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and ACOs. http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO #HCR



  2. Vince Kuraitis on March 18, 2011 at 12:33 pm

    The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and ACOs. http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO #HCR



  3. Netspective Health on March 18, 2011 at 12:37 pm

    The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and ACOs http://goo.gl/fb/hXg3N #HIT #HealthIT



  4. Netspective Health on March 18, 2011 at 12:37 pm

    The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and ACOs http://goo.gl/fb/hXg3N #HIT #HealthIT



  5. TNFORMATICS.com on March 18, 2011 at 12:37 pm

    The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and ACOs | e-CareManagement Blog http://bit.ly/fuAPFP http://f.tatsn.com/u



  6. TNFORMATICS.com on March 18, 2011 at 12:37 pm

    The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and ACOs | e-CareManagement Blog http://bit.ly/fuAPFP http://f.tatsn.com/u



  7. David Harlow on March 18, 2011 at 12:58 pm

    Key point > RT @VinceKuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” & ACOs http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO #HCR #ACA #healthreform



  8. David Harlow on March 18, 2011 at 12:58 pm

    Key point > RT @VinceKuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” & ACOs http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO #HCR #ACA #healthreform



  9. Donna Scott on March 18, 2011 at 12:59 pm

    RT @rh_dscott: Thank u fr RH! RT @vincekuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Betw “Accountable Care” and ACOs http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #pcmh



  10. Donna Scott on March 18, 2011 at 12:59 pm

    RT @rh_dscott: Thank u fr RH! RT @vincekuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Betw “Accountable Care” and ACOs http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #pcmh



  11. Diane E. Meier on March 18, 2011 at 1:00 pm

    RT @healthblawg: Key point > RT @VinceKuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” & ACOs http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO # …



  12. Diane E. Meier on March 18, 2011 at 1:00 pm

    RT @healthblawg: Key point > RT @VinceKuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” & ACOs http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO # …



  13. APS Healthcare GAERO on March 18, 2011 at 1:04 pm

    ACOs not [necessarily] necessary for Accountable Care https://e-caremanagement.com/the-crucial-distinction-between-accountable-care-and-acos/



  14. Angela Mazzi on March 18, 2011 at 1:04 pm

    RT @healthblawg: Key point > RT @VinceKuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” & ACOs http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO # …



  15. Angela Mazzi on March 18, 2011 at 1:04 pm

    RT @healthblawg: Key point > RT @VinceKuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” & ACOs http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO # …



  16. Ravi Kumar on March 18, 2011 at 1:05 pm

    RT @VinceKuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and ACOs. http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO #HCR



  17. Steven Waldren MD on March 18, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    RT @VinceKuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and ACOs. http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO #HCR



  18. RelayHealth on March 18, 2011 at 2:25 pm

    RT @rh_dscott: Thank u fr RH! RT @vincekuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Betw “Accountable Care” and ACOs http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO #PCMH…



  19. Jose De La Rosa on March 18, 2011 at 3:37 pm

    The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and ACOs | e-CareManagement Blog http://tinyurl.com/6awkwnh



  20. Kim Nolen on March 18, 2011 at 4:36 pm

    Accountability, not structure is key! @pcmhm @vincekuraitis Crucial Distinction Betw “Accountable Care” and #ACO's http://t.co/TaaYLFX



  21. Michael D. Anderson on March 18, 2011 at 6:30 pm

    RT @healthblawg: Key point > RT @VinceKuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” & ACOs http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO # …



  22. Ronald Nyman on March 18, 2011 at 8:53 pm

    RT @healthblawg: Key point > RT @VinceKuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” & ACOs http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO # …



  23. hiv snp on March 19, 2011 at 7:08 am

    The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and ACOs http://bit.ly/eqMF2f



  24. Eli Camhi on March 19, 2011 at 7:45 am

    RT @hivsnp: The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and ACOs http://bit.ly/eqMF2f



  25. Perficient Health IT on March 21, 2011 at 8:48 am

    Providing Accountability: Accountable Care Concepts for Providers http://bit.ly/hXwimS #ACO



  26. Andy De on March 21, 2011 at 9:20 am

    RT @VinceKuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” & ACOs – gr8 read!. http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO #healthIT #HITsm #acocon



  27. Perficient Health IT on March 21, 2011 at 9:25 am

    Thanks @PorterResearch RT @Perficient_HC: Providing Accountability: Accountable Care Concepts for Providers http://bit.ly/hXwimS #ACO



  28. Dave Foster on March 21, 2011 at 10:12 am

    RT @VinceKuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and ACOs. http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO #HCR



  29. Perficient Health IT on March 21, 2011 at 12:38 pm

    The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and #ACO http://bit.ly/hndYeM



  30. PerfectServe on March 21, 2011 at 1:43 pm

    RT @hwinsider: RT @VinceKuraitis: The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and ACOs. http://bit.ly/gZK3z0 #ACO #HCR



  31. Christel Kellogg on March 23, 2011 at 4:03 am

    RT @Perficient_HC: The Crucial Distinction Between “Accountable Care” and #ACO http://bit.ly/hndYeM