Today's accountable care models are not the same as the arguably failed experiments of managed care organizations in the 1990s, said America's Health Insurance Plans' (AHIP) President and CEO Karen Ignagni on Tuesday at the Summit on Shared Accountability in Washington, D.C.

"It's not the 90s anymore," Ignagni said about current accountable care organizations (ACO). "It's broader, better, and we have more available tools."

Skeptics of accountable care oftentimes liken the past models that focused only on costs and not quality, fearing that contemporary ACOs will fail too. However, as Ignagni pointed out, today's models stress true collaboration between providers and insurers who are looking to improve care of individual patients, as well as communities.

Providers and health plans are aligning in ways that allow for "enormous capabilities" to advance population health, according to Susan Dentzer, editor in chief of Health Affairs and moderator of the conference.

Although there are varying accountable care models, Ignagni noted that successful modern approaches remember the "accountable" part.

"The important thing of ACOs is that they are accountable and measureable," she said.

According to AHIP's now famous payment reform activity map (2010 .pdf version), as of October 2011, there are 30 accountable care model arrangements in the United States, 151 patient-centered medical home partnerships, 17 bundled/episode of care payment partnerships, and 3 comprehensive/global payment partnerships.

"It's a story of partnership, goals settings, and results ... to accomplish something for society and for ourselves," Ignagni said.

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