Controlling Healthcare Costs Through Accountable Care Organizations

With the passage of the new healthcare reform legislation, healthcare professionals are looking for new ways to increase efficiency and value, while decreasing the cost of providing healthcare services. One “solution” proposed by the reform legislation is the creation of accountable care organizations (ACOs), organizations in which a set of providers, usually physicians and hospitals, are held accountable for the cost and quality of care delivered to a specific local population. ACOs are currently only a theoretical mode of healthcare delivery and although the likelihood of success is yet unknown, the new legislation set forth requirements and plans for future pilot programs.