Provider-Payer ACO In Illinois Reports 26% Fewer Readmissions For Chronic Health Conditions

AdvocateCare, a commercial accountable care organization (ACO) formed by Advocate Health Care, has reported a 26% drop in hospital readmissions for chronic health conditions. The reduction was attributed to the efforts of transition coaches. Advocate Health Care is a hospital system in Illinois and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBS of IL); AdvocateCare launched in 2011 and has about 380,000 members. In March 2012, the ACO partners announced significant savings for the first six months of AdvocateCare’s operations. Compared to members’ utilization before enrolling in AdvocateCare, hospital admissions per member dropped by 10.6% and emergency department . . .