The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced the first Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in 2012. Since then, there has been significant ACO expansion, including into rural areas. RUPRI Center research finds that Medicare ACOs currently operate in 17.5% of all U.S. non-metropolitan counties. Furthermore, Medicare ACOs operate in non-metropolitan counties in every U.S. Census Region. The implications for rural providers are significant. ACO participants (principally hospitals and physicians) and their competitors can no longer rely exclusively on a business model that prioritizes service volume as an operational priority. Instead, they must direct attention and resources to increasing clinical quality, improving patient experience, and lowering the cost of care.
Please click on the following link to download a copy of the policy brief:
http://cph.uiowa.edu/rupri/publications/policybriefs/2013/Accountable%20Care%20Organizations%20in%20Rural%20America.pdf
