Next Iteration Of ACO Model Projected To Include Bundled Payments

As payers transition from fee-for-service reimbursements to value-based purchasing, Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) (and ACO-like models adopted by state Medicaid programs, private insurers, and self-insured employer health plans) are likely to require that the provider organizations participating in ACOs have the ability to accept bundled payments for acute episodes of care. According to an analysis by the Navigant Center for Healthcare Research and Policy Analysis, payers view shifting risk to provider organizations as a way to improve outcomes and reduce costs and view the clinically integrated networks of the ACO model as a platform . . .