The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recently stated that it believes doctors with accountable care organizations (ACOs) are ready to handle the new payment models from the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).
The proposed MACRA rule still needs to be improved, but the first draft shows a significant change in how doctors will receive Medicare payments. For doctors involved in ACOs -- a specific group of hospitals, doctors and other health professionals who volunteer to provide their patients with high-quality, coordinated care -- are better prepared for the changes.
Doctors with ACO experience have previously handled various infrastructure challenges. They have also learned to report and gather data that are important to the overall health community.
Doctors who do not have ACO experience will need to learn new ways to participate with these models as they select clinical goals for their business. Additionally, they will need to learn how to measure these goals, discovering features that are included in electronic health record systems.
"At St. John, we did not necessarily expect to make money with the ACO,” Dr. Terry Mills, senior medical director at St. John Clinic, said. “We expected to gain valuable critical experience. The ACO was seen as a way to start building the infrastructure; figure out the data collection and reporting; start aligning our physicians; and, most importantly, engaging our community in order to be successful in the future.”
