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Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) may not be as effective as many believe when it comes to reducing healthcare costs and improving outcomes, according to a new study.
The study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, examines data from ACOs participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). It finds that savings and quality improvements previously attributed to the design of ACOs may actually be the result of clinicians with higher-than-average costs leaving the organizations.
However, the National Association of ACOs (NAACOs) has challenged those findings, citing a study from several Harvard economists that questions the data and methodology used to reach the Annals study’s conclusions.