7 Characteristics of Highly Successful ACO’s

rends toward providers joining Accountable Care Organizations have continued to rise, but not all ACO’s are created equal. It’s become clear that some ACOs out there aren’t achieving the kind of success that was originally hoped for by their creators. Why is it that some organizations are making a difference and others aren’t? We’ve identified some of the characteristics of highly successful ACO’s, so you can determine which organizations are making real progress and which ones are just doing it for publicity. Remember to value substance over style!

-       Are providers willing to take capitation risks? If so, it shows that they’re dedicated to the overall cause of making health costs and medical bills less of a challenge for their patients.

-       Do they have providers with a deep understanding of the organizations financials? If they do not, then it will be challenging to make a true shift to value-based care.

-       Is there a physician willing to tackle the disruption associated with potential financial cannibalization until new centers are built? It’s important to have someone step up who is willing to take risks.

-       Is there an active clinical leader dedicated to cultural evolution? It’s important not to play it safe, but to make a name for yourself in the evolving medical community.

-       Is physician compensation focused on value? The goal should be to improve overall care quality and create personalized experiences for every patient while rewarding physicians for adopting the value-based model.

-       Are there benefits designed to keep members within the ACO? Patients care about the quality of their care and working with the best physicians possible, but to truly create the best patient-ACO relationship, a benefits system being set in place will strengthen their brand-loyalty.

-       Are the value-models commercialized to build volume and improve brand recognition? The marketing team for an ACO needs to make sure they make it easy for patients to understand what makes your organization so great and ensuring that when they think about their ACO options, they remember your name.

Ultimately, ACOs can be great in theory, but without a strong physician leader and a team dedicated to igniting change in the industry and local medical community, the efforts could fall flat. Everyone can get behind the cause for lowering health care costs, but is your organization doing everything they can?