This report describes the experiences of seven accountable care
organizations (ACOs) based on interviews with clinical and
administrative leaders. It states that ACO leaders are relying on
physicians to design clinical standards, quality measures, and financial
incentives, while also promoting team-based care and offering care
management and quality improvement tools to help providers identify and
manage high-risk patients. More advanced ACOs are seeing reductions or
slower growth in health care costs and have anecdotal evidence of care
improvements; while some of the example sites have begun, or are
planning to share savings with providers if quality benchmarks are met.
