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Article: Are Accountable Care Organizations the answer to health reform?
- Article from:
- Colorado Springs Business Journal
- Article date:
- October 2, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 Colorado Springs Business Journal. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Add another acronym to the health care reform debate: ACOs.
John Bertko, a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institute, said
that Accountable Care Organizations -- sort of the new millennium's
answer to Health Maintenance Organizations -- could be a way to tie
together the various aspects of reform.
"We can create a system where reform works, but we have to roll
up our sleeves and get it done," he said. "ACOs are one method to
accomplish this."
An ACO is a group of providers (hospitals, primary care doctors
and specialists) that would be held responsible for both the quality
and cost of health care for a specific population of Medicare
beneficiaries.
"This way, you can provide or manage a ...