ABSTRACT
Health care reform efforts that emphasize value, as opposed to the volume, of care are gaining momentum nationwide, including the formation of local clinically integrated organizations that are assuming accountability for both quality and cost.1,2 The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provides incentives for the creation of these accountable care organizations (ACOs), including establishment of a federal shared savings program that rewards organizations that meet quality benchmarks while reducing health care spending.3 Baylor Quality Alliance (BQA) is a clinically integrated ACO comprising of physicians, hospitals, and other providers of care whose mission is to achieve the highest quality, cost-effective care possible for the patients and communities served by BHCS.4 BQA is pursuing this mission through an emphasis on primary care and better population health, improved coordination of patient care, and the creation of new payment models that reward high-quality, low-cost care.
