Physician-Hospital Relationships & ACOs
26
FEature
Specialty ACOs:
The Next Step in Accountable Care
By Heather Punke
T
he concept of accountable care organizations — of payors and care providers working together to achieve the triple aim of lowering healthcare costs while improving
the quality of care and patient outcomes — has mainly been focused on primary care
since the idea was formalized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010.
Lately, however, the focus of ACOs has shifted slightly from primary care to specific chronic
diseases, such as cancer, chronic kidney disease and end stage renal disease.
