Doctors and health care providers have formed 106 new accountable care organizations in Medicare, the Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday.
The announcement gives a big boost to the program established under health reform. ACOs were created with the intent of improving care while lowering costs. Since passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more than 250 ACOs have been established, HHS said.
"Accountable Care Organizations save money for Medicare and deliver higher-quality care to people with Medicare," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. "Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more doctors and hospitals are working together to give people with Medicare the high-quality care they expect and deserve."
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As many as 4 million seniors now have access to high-quality, coordinated care through ACOs, according to government figures.
Under the ACO model—which brings together groups of hospitals, doctors and other health providers to direct patient care—organizations are paid for caring for a pool of patients rather than for each procedure. Groups receive a percentage of the savings they generate for Medicare as an incentive for keeping costs low.
Roughly half of all ACOs are physician-led organizations that serve fewer than 10,000 beneficiaries, the department said. Approximately 20 percent of ACOs include community health centers, rural health centers and critical access hospitals that
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