With an almost even split between joiners and non-participants or undecided respondents, healthcare executives this week revealed their intentions to participate or forgo the accountable care organization (ACO) Shared Savings program at the 19th Annual Health Forum and the American Hospital Association Leadership Summit.
Respondents reported 45.5 percent will definitely join (18.2 percent) or probably will join (27.3 percent). On the flip side, 36.4 definitely will not join (11.4 percent) or probably will not (25 percent). The other 9.1 percent were unsure.
Another study released this week by U.S. News and World Report estimated that healthcare executives were more likely or extremely likely to join ACOs at a combined 66.4 percent of respondents. Only 3.7 percent said that joining an ACO was not at all likely.
According to the Summit poll, healthcare executives reported that hospitals will have to learn how to make money on Medicare-level reimbursement; 69.6 percent strongly agreed, and another 27.8 percent somewhat agreed.
They also reported how they ranked the following initiatives as major priorities: electronic health records (93 percent), redesigning care delivery process and procedures (89.5 percent), advanced diagnostic technology (60.7 percent), advanced therapeutic technology such as the da Vinci (34.5 percent), and social media (30.4 percent).
For more:
- read the H&HN article
- check out the survey (.pdf)