Accountable Care Organizations - A Solution?

[KeithE]

[KeithE]

After reading a good many comments on ACOs , I’m less in favor with them as I was initially.

The purpose of this whole thread (ACOs - A Solution?) was to get other opinions on ACOs - it morphed into a repeat discussion about “fairness” due to my “Note in Passing” at the end of the lead-off post. And then a Dave Ramsay's one-sided “non-number math” to dismiss OC. No one has really discussed the pros and cons of ACOs.

ACOs apparently have been a partial success in terms of health care profits (13 of 31 organizations in one ACO profited, 2 lost profit), but there is little demonstrated about cost control or health benefits. Too difficult to measure and more time is needed to assess I suppose. Useful as an experiment, but not a sure panacea.

Why not use what has been demonstrated as a long term successful model - one of 30+ single-payer systems of the OEDC that do it at 1/2 the price and with for the most part slightly better results. Yes I know this will put the health insurance business out of business* but that workforce can be transformed into other work - like accountability agents in health or really any field.

*Note: it does not put doctors/hospitals/medical device/pharmacuetics/pharmacies/nurses out of business nor must they be nationalized, but the health insurance business would be limited greatly or eliminated.

Any one else care to comment? Any actual experience with ACOs?