One consequence of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is that it has everyone in the industry talking about ACOs: What exactly is an ACO? What infrastructure do we need to establish an ACO? Does it even make sense for our organization to become an ACO?
These questions remain largely unanswered, which presents a variety of challenges for organizations looking to improve quality and cost outcomes by becoming an ACO. The situation begs for a second look at the original intent of the legislation.