Health Affairs/RWJF Health Policy Briefs

Accountable Care Organizations

Under the health reform law, Medicare will be able to contract with these to provide care to enrollees. What are they and how will they work?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act authorizes Medicare to contract with accountable care organizations (ACOs), networks of physicians and other providers that would work together to improve quality of health care services and reduce costs for patients. But what is an ACO, exactly?

There is no standard answer, but in simplest terms an ACO is a network of doctors and hospitals who are together responsible for providing high-quality care to patients. A new policy brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation describes the ACO concept as set forth in the new legislation. It also explains how ACOs might evolve over time and reviews the challenges and opportunities facing health systems, physicians, administrators and policy-makers as ACOs take shape.

The authors note that because the ACO concept is a new one, whatever model it ends up taking can be expected to evolve, as payers and providers learn which models work best.

Health Affairs/RWJF Health Policy Brief Series

  1. 1 Medicare Payments to Physicians
  2. 2 Premium Support in Medicare
  3. 3 Public Reporting on Quality and Costs
  4. 4 The Prevention and Public Health Fund
  5. 5 Small Business Insurance Exchanges
  6. 6 Next Steps for ACOs
  7. 7 Medicaid Reform
  8. 8 The Independent Payment Advisory Board
  9. 9 Legal Challenges to Health Reform
  10. 10 Community Development and Health
  11. 11 Achieving Equity in Health
  12. 12 Putting Limits on 'Medigap'
  13. 13 The CLASS Act
  14. 14 Improving Quality and Safety
  15. 15 'Unreasonable' Insurance Rate Increases
  16. 16 Employers and Health Care Reform
  17. 17 Congress and the Affordable Care Act
  18. 18 The 1099 Provision
  19. 19 Enrolling More Kids in Medicaid and CHIP
  20. 20 Small Business Tax Credits
  21. 21 Preventive Services Without Cost Sharing
  22. 22 Early Retiree Insurance
  23. 23 Medical Loss Ratios
  24. 24 'Grandfathered' Health Plans
  25. 25 Electronic Health Record Standards
  26. 26 Comparative Effectiveness Research
  27. 27 Patient-Centered Medical Homes
  28. 28 "Meaningful Use" of Electronic Health Records
  29. 29 Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan
  30. 30 Accountable Care Organizations
  31. 31 Extra Federal Medicaid Support Ends
  32. 32 Paying Physicians For Medicare Services
  33. 33 Health Reform's Changes in Medicare
  34. 34 Near-Term Changes in Health Insurance
  35. 35 Employer Mandate
  36. 36 Individual Mandate
  37. 37 Public Health Insurance Plan
  38. 38 Health Insurance Reforms
  39. 39 Individual Responsibility
  40. 40 Key Issues in Health Reform
  41. 41 Shared Responsibility
  42. 42 Coverage for Low-Income People
  43. 43 Tax Debate
  44. 44 A Public Health Insurance Plan
  45. 45 Competitive Bidding in Medicare Advantage
  46. 46 Medicare Advantage Plans

Health Affairs/RWJF Health Policy Briefs

Series provides clear, accessible overviews of timely and important health policy topics. The briefs are geared to policy-makers, congressional staffers, and others who need short, jargon-free explanations of health policy basics.

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