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A new report from the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS) shed light on the strategies that have driven the success of ACOs in adopting value-based care (VBC).
Based on in-depth interviews with high-performing ACOs, the September 2024 ACO Drivers for Success report outlines 5 core strategies for effective ACO management, including working across payers, fostering a high-value culture, leveraging data, implementing clinical interventions, and engaging patients.
Over a decade ago, as Medicare shifted toward VBC, ACOs became central to payment reform, aiming to break the link between reimbursement and service volume while emphasizing patient outcomes. CMS set ambitious goals, aiming for the majority of Medicare beneficiaries to be in accountable care models by 2030.
These efforts reflect the need to shift from a reactive, high-cost “sick care” system to a proactive approach focused on population health, coordination across specialties, and reducing health care waste. In 2022, estimates suggested that health care waste contributed to 25% of total US health care spending, amounting to up to $935 billion.2 By cutting this waste, ACOs can reinvest savings into transforming care delivery and improving patient outcomes.