ACO Pilot Program Judged a Failure

[T]he experiment involves “accountable care organizations,” one of the hottest trends in health policy and an idea included in the year-old federal law intended to overhaul the nation’s health-care system.

The five-year test enlisted 10 leading health systems around the country and offered financial bonuses if they could save enough by treating older patients more efficiently while providing high-quality care.

[T]he experiment involves “accountable care organizations,” one of the hottest trends in health policy and an idea included in the year-old federal law intended to overhaul the nation’s health-care system.

The five-year test enlisted 10 leading health systems around the country and offered financial bonuses if they could save enough by treating older patients more efficiently while providing high-quality care.

In 2010, the final year, just four of the 10 sites … slowed their Medicare spending enough to qualify for a bonus …  Two sites saved enough to get bonuses in all five years, the evaluation shows, but three did not succeed even once.

Full article on the failed ACO pilot program in The Washington Post.