by bnations
1. November 2011 04:49
ACO this and ACO that, it seems very confusing. Yet I know that practicing
physicians are concerned because the ACO system affects reimbursements, therefore being an
incentive to grasp it in some form. With all the stirring about ACO's and
the guidelines isuued in March, CMS came out with adaptation on October 20. AMEDnews.com
stated it this way:
After criticism about its March 31 proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
released an Oct. 20 final rule that gives physicians the option to join an ACO without being
exposed to financial penalties if saving targets are not achieved. CMS also softened program
requirements by reducing the number of quality measures physicians must report and removing
a condition that at least 50% of participants must satisfy meaningful use standards for electronic medical records.
A survey of the American Medical Group Association in April revealed the sentiment of most physicians in no
uncertain terms, "93% of respondents said they would not participate unless the proposed rule underwent major revisions".
The jury is still out as to how the ACO model will play out in practice. Certainly an efffort has been made
to make it easier on physicians in adjusting to the changes. The article from AMEDnews.com goes on
to address "6 changes that make ACO's doable for physicians".