ACO 101 – Unicorns No More

(Originally posted by Daniel J. Vukelich on April 01, 2011)

By Daniel J. Vukelich, President, Association of Medical Device Reprocessors
I’ve been thinking about Robert Pear’s analogy, as he wrote in today’s New York Times that:

Until now, accountable care organizations were like unicorns, creatures that flourished in the imagination but proved persistently elusive in the natural world. The rules define the new entity as a team of doctors, hospitals and other providers that “work together to manage and coordinate care” for people in the traditional fee-for-service Medicare program.

With over 350 articles appearing in today’s online clips for ACO’s, it’s clear that the ACO unicorn is no more. But what’s more, millions of Americans are learning about ACOs for the first time. . . . full post.