Over half of Americans live in an area covered by an ACO

Characteristics of local areas that are served by accountable care organizations (ACOs) were studied based on the 227 ACOs identified as of August 2012.  The findings were that over half (55 percent) of Americans live in an area served by one or more ACOs.  Characteristics of areas that are MORE likely to have attracted the formation of ACOs include:

• High-cost areas
• High-performing on quality measures
• Fewer physician groups in the market
• Affluent and urban areas

The policy implications of this study stem from the observation that “ACOs may be less likely to form in regions where it may be less difficult to achieve savings or meet quality benchmarks.” (p. 1855).

Source: Lewis, V.A., Colla, C.H., and others.  Accountable care organizations in the United States: market and demographic factors associated with formation.  Health Services Research.  48(6, Part 1):1840-1858, Dec. 2013.  Click here to access publisher’s website:  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1475-6773.12102/abstract.  Posted by AHA Resource Center (312) 422-2050, rc@aha.org