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Accountable Care Organizations are struggling to find specialists to improve value-based care, although it is a top priority Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Meanwhile, ACOs face considerable challenges in effectively engaging specialists, according to a recent study from the Institute for Accountable Care in the American Journal of Managed Care.
The predominant influence of fee-for-service payment structures on specialist behavior was cited as a major hurdle by 58% of ACOs.
The study analyzed 101 Medicare ACOs participating in either the Medicare Shared Savings Program or the Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (REACH) ACO model as of 2023.
The researchers found while most ACOs prioritize specialist engagement, less than 10% indicated high levels of engagement in value-based care initiatives.
ACOs are actively seeking to involve specialists in their efforts, including integrating them into quality improvement projects (38%) and organizing collaborative sessions to establish evidence-based care pathways (30%).
Financial incentives play a significant role in encouraging specialist participation, with approximately half of ACOs offering such incentives.
These incentives target various aspects of performance and behavior, with 36% focused on clinical outcomes, 29% on cost outcomes, and 21% on patient satisfaction.
Lack of data is another challenge. More than half (53%) of respondents highlight a lack of data to evaluate specialist performance, and nearly half (49%) express concerns about insufficient resources or bandwidth to effectively address specialist alignment.