Anticipating the Effects of Accountable Care Organizations for Inpatient Surgery

Abstract

Accountable care organizations (ACOs), a signature reform in the Affordable Care Act, are being developed and implemented across the United States.¹ Quiz Ref ID In many ways, the primary goal of ACOs is to encourage greater integration of local delivery systems and better coordination of care.^2-4 In addition to their new requirements for shared governance and accountability, ACOs will accelerate such care integration through the introduction of financial incentives (eg, shared savings) that reward provider groups for collectively meeting specific quality and cost benchmarks.¹ Quiz Ref ID Previous research about the benefits of integrated delivery systems (IDSs) in ambulatory care suggests that ACOs are likely to improve efficiency in that clinical context.^5,6