Medicare ACO Hospitals Better At Reducing Readmissions Than Non-ACO Hospitals

Hospitals affiliated with a Medicare accountable care organization (ACO) were more effective at reducing rehospitalizations from skilled nursing facilities than hospitals not affiliated with an ACO. The ACO-affiliated hospitals, however, were able to reduce rehospitalizations more quickly than other hospitals

These findings were reported in “ACO-Affiliated Hospitals Reduced Rehospitalizations From Skilled Nursing Facilities Faster Than Other Hospitals,” by Ulrika Winblad, Vincent Mor, John P. McHugh, and Momotazur Rahman. The analysis focused on hospitals participating in ACOs during 2012 and 2013. It included 162 hospitals in areas covered by ACOs funded by the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) ACO . . .