Expanding the knowledge regarding ACOs - Essay Example

Expanding the knowledge regarding ACOs ACO (Accountable Care Organizations) is a term found in Medicare. These are hospitals, doctors and other health care providers who join efforts to offer quality health care to Medicare patients (Peter, pg. 56). The requirements for service providers in this program are that they should be accountable for the quality cost, agree to be in the program for at least a term of three years, patients centered and have a management and leadership structure (Robert, pg. 98). This is how ACOs work.

Doctors together with other providers in the same ACO talk to the beneficiaries of this program on health issues. Secondly, hospitals with other local providers volunteer to provide good health care. Patients also undergo few medical tests because the providers share their medical records and keep track of their care (Peter, pg. 167).These organizations have the ability to share information as doctors have medical records of their patients. Still, health care facilities, hospitals and doctors working in the same ACO can read ones medical history and share information (Jonathan, pg. 234). Below is an ACO map showing the post-acute care centers for patients and their distribution in United States.

Work cited.Jonathan Fleece. New health age the future of health care in America. Naperville: Sourcebooks, 2011. PrintPeter Pavarini. The ACO handbook: A guide to accountable care organizations. Bristol: American Health Lawyers Association, 2012. PrintRobert Cimasi. Accountable Care Organizations Value Metrics and Capital Formation. Hoboken: CRC Press, 2013. Print