AHIP: ACOs should meet same standards as health plans

If accountable care organizations (ACO) take on roles that health plans typically perform, they should meet the same standards those plans would be required to meet, AHIP told the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in comments regarding the ACO proposed rule. Those standards include financial requirements, network requirements, disclosure requirements, and quality improvement requirements. "If ACOs are not subject to the same standards, consumers receiving care from an ACO may have less access to care, receive care of lesser quality, be faced with increased costs, and/or be more vulnerable to discontinuation of coverage if unforeseen events occur, such as a flu pandemic or similar disaster impacting the health care system," AHIP says. Letter