By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    grief
    Coping With Depression from Loss After a Preventable Accident
    November 14, 2024
    medical research
    The Key to Medical Progress in Clinical Trials
    March 13, 2025
    HIPPA compliance
    How Medical Office Staff Can Make Your Practice HIPAA Compliant
    October 29, 2021
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Image
    Emergency Room – Don’t Use It For Primary Care!
    March 19, 2013
    Encouraging Medicare News From Senate Republicans
    March 17, 2012
    chronic disease
    Lifestyles Cause Most Serious Disease and Deaths
    May 25, 2013
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Meaningful Use Criteria and the ACO
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Health Reform > Meaningful Use Criteria and the ACO
Health Reform

Meaningful Use Criteria and the ACO

HITECH Answers
HITECH Answers
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE


Sarianne Gruber MPH, MS

SG Healthcare Analytics LLC

Accountable Care Organizations or more commonly called ACOs plan to be the new Medicare business models for practicing medicine. What exactly is an ACO and how does it plan to measure efficiencies or inefficiencies in delivering healthcare? The premise of an ACO is to encourage healthcare providers to think of themselves as a group sharing patient care as well as financial incentives. The Medicare Gain Sharing Program, part of the new healthcare reform law, makes available the option for healthcare providers to form an ACO. There are several different options for how an ACO can organized but all must include at least primary and specialty care physicians and at least one hospital. The ACO must serve at least 5,000 Medicare beneficiaries and agree to participate in the Shared Saving Program for a minimum of three years. Financially, its providers share in any cost savings that arise from quality improvements and enhanced efficiency. The incentive plan for an ACO is simple. If the ACO is able to reduce care costs less than Medicare’s current system, then the ACO will receive a share of the savings as a bonus payment. Conversely, the plan also includes a financial penalty if an ACO misses its goal and incurs costs above the status quo.

Managing costs is one part of the ACO’s objective; the second is providing outcome evidence on the quality of healthcare provided. The ACO will be held accountable for showing improved performance on a series of 65 clinical measures and will be required to report on these quality measures for the three year agreement period. The ACO performance measures are divided in five areas of concentration: (1) patient/caregiver experience, (2) care coordination, (3) patient safety, (4) preventive health and (5) at-risk population/frail elderly health. Reviewing the list of ACO measures, 26 of the 65 requirements are also “Meaningful Use Criteria” captured with a certified EHR system. The table below lists the EHR Clinical Quality variables that can be used as a measurement source for ACO performance requirements.

The self-reported data submission process will operate through a Group Practice Reporting Option (GPRO) web-based data collection tool, which will allow ACOs to submit clinical information from EHRs, registries and administrative data sources. The interrelationship between Meaningful Use and ACO measures brings a strong alignment between the EHR incentive program and the Shared Savings Program such that the proposed ruling will require an ACO to demonstrate that 50% of its primary care physicians are meaningful EHR users as defined by the HITECH Act. And from the “patient centeredness” perspective, the importance having the flow of patient information is critical. This can only be achieved through the exchange of electronic health information and providers who are participating in the EHR incentive program and who are developing care processes consistent with Meaningful Use.

More Read

The Personalized Medicine Market in 2015 [INFOGRAPHIC]
Is the Recession Increasing Access to Health Care?
GAO Confirms Health Insurance Rating Rules Hike Premiums for Young People
How to Control Healthcare Costs: Lessons from Singapore
Swamped: America’s Health Care System Is Drowning in Misery

 

 

TAGGED:ACOsmeaningful use
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Person-Centered HealthCare: Using Medical Education to Drive Adoption of High-Value Care

February 22, 2013

America’s High Cost Healthcare Problem

May 13, 2016
HIE
BusinesseHealthHealth ReformHospital AdministrationMedical RecordsPolicy & LawPublic HealthTechnology

Collaboration and Federation: IHE Creating Direct Project Provider Directory

June 7, 2014
obamacare health exchanges
BusinessHealth ReformPolicy & LawPublic Health

What’s the Deal with the Exchanges?

October 13, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?