Recent reports suggest that a number of the Affordable Care Act’s measures are already paying dividends with respect to bending the U.S. health care cost curve. While many remain skeptical of the ACA’s ultimate ability to successfully engineer meaningful health reform, these recent reports will serve to only further validate the innovative efforts among private sector stakeholders to improve the efficiency of health care delivery.
Following ACA’s call to arms, payor systems and physicians, among other providers, whether or not seeking to participate in a Medicare accountable care organization, or ACO, have focused on innovative care delivery and coordination models as a means to survive, and thrive, in health care’s brave new world. Within those efforts, ACOs, clinical integration systems and hospital/physician alignment strategies predominate the discussions among payors.
