Accountable Care Organizations, new Medicare payment arrangements aimed at improving coordination of care for the chronically ill, are really taking off in Florida, according to MedPage Today. Florida has more ACOs than any other state, even the much more populous California.
ACOs are groups of physicians, hospitals and other health-care providers that band together to assume financial responsibility for patients. Some states don't have any, which could be a big problem, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, said at an ACO conference in Washington.
An ACO takes responsibility for the care of an assigned patient and for assuring that the patient gets not only primary care but also can see specialists when needed. If the patient goes outside the network for care, the ACO takes a financial hit but the patient is not penalized.
For more information on ACOs, see this federal website.