ACOs Angling for a Bigger Role in Health Equity

October 4, 2021Garrett SchmittNo Commentsaccountable care, ACO, ACOs, CMS, health equity, HHS, Medicare, NAACOS, Population Health, Primary Care, primary care centers, SDOH, Social Services

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) can improve health equity in their patient populations, but they need more funding and flexibility to do so, according to a report from a group representing 370 ACOs. “ACOs are already beginning to do the work of addressing negative [social determinants of health] to improve quality and control costs for the…

Are ACOs Successful in Integrating Social Services with Medical Care?

February 13, 2020Garrett SchmittNo CommentsACOs, Social Services

Despite interest in addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) to improve patient outcomes, little progress has been made in integrating social services with medical care. Even for accountable care organizations (ACOs) that have been early adopters in addressing social needs, significant difficulties have been experienced in this area. These findings were detailed in the February issue of Health…

Upstream With A Small Paddle: How ACOs Are Working Against The Current To Meet Patients’ Social Needs

February 3, 2020Garrett SchmittNo CommentsACOs, Patient Engagement, SDOH, social needs, Social Services

Despite interest in addressing social determinants of health to improve patient outcomes, little progress has been made in integrating social services with medical care. We aimed to understand how health care providers with strong motivation (for example, operating under new payment models) and commitment (for example, early adopters) fared at addressing patients’ social needs. We…

Who are Community Health Workers, How Do They Treat Patients?

July 31, 2018Garrett SchmittNo CommentsBehavioral Health, community, Community Health Workers, community outreach, SDOH, social determinants, Social Services

The transition to value-based care has expanded the definition of patient wellness to include both physical and social health. As patient care stretches into the community, the healthcare workforce begins to center on the community health worker. Community health workers “are frontline public health workers who have a close understanding of the community they serve,”…

Addressing Social Determinants of Health through Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations

April 18, 2018Garrett SchmittNo CommentsMedicaid, SDOH, socail determinant, social determinants, Social Services

Medicaid accountable care organizations (ACOs) are designed to improve health care quality while delivering more efficient care. But, medical care is only one of several factors affecting health outcomes. Social determinants of health (SDOH), such as living environment and access to healthy food, affect health outcomes and, consequently, an ACO’s bottom line. Because most ACOs…

3 Innovative Programs of Highly Successful ACOs

July 16, 2017acoNo CommentsCare Management, Clinical Integration, Pharmacy, Physician Engagement, Social Services, Value based contracts

Accountable care may still be a relatively new model in some areas, but the numbers of ACOs are steadily increasing. There were approximately 660 ACOs in the U.S. in 2015. The number increased to 838 last year. Success, however, can be elusive. Only about one-fourth of U.S. hospitals entered into value-based contracts have been able…

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