3 key elements for a successful ACO

Aligned incentives, partnerships and shared decision-making are three essential features of a successful accountable care organization (ACO), according to a panel discussion at the AHIP Institute. The panel featured leaders from two Washington-based integrated systems who successfully implemented ACOs, improving care and lowering costs. An ACO arrangement should build care delivery systems that coordinate care across the continuum and leverage and work with patients from both the health plan side and provider side, the panelists said. Within the ACO model, payers and providers can directly interact with the customer, directly face the market, and as a result, innovate approaches to care. Read the full article at FierceHealthPayer