First few Article Sentences
Healthcare reform is about accountability for care. As a nurse, should someone ask me if I provide quality care, I would answer, “Absolutely.” But if they ask me, “What is your data to support that claim of quality care?” Then I may need to say, “I’ll be right back with you on that.”
That’s where the ACO comes in. ACOs are a type of payment and delivery reform model that begins to tie provider reimbursements to quality metrics (measures of quality indicators) and reductions in the total cost of care (performance and process improvement) for an assigned population of people; i.e. Medicare patients.