ABSTRACT
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) create incentives for healthcare providers to work together to treat an individual patient across care settings—including doctor offices, hospitals, and long-term care facilities. In a press release dated December 19, 2011, the US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that thirty-two leading healthcare organizations from across the country will participate in a new Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations initiative made possible by the Affordable Care Act. The Pioneer ACO initiative will encourage primary care doctors, specialists, hospitals, and other caregivers to provide better, more coordinated care for people with Medicare and could save up to $1.1 billion. Secretary Sebelius stated that she was excited that so many innovative systems elected to participate in the initiative, and she explained that there are many other ways that healthcare providers can get involved and help improve care for patients.
