Association Between Medicare Accountable Care Organization Implementation and Spending Among Clinically Vulnerable Beneficiaries.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Accountable care contracts hold physician groups financially responsible for the quality and cost of health care delivered to patients. Focusing on clinically vulnerable patients, those with serious conditions who are responsible for the greatest proportion of spending, may result in the largest effects on both patient outcomes and financial rewards for participating physician groups.

Objective

To estimate the effect of Medicare accountable care organization (ACO) contracts on spending and high-cost institutional use for all Medicare beneficiaries and for clinically vulnerable beneficiaries.

Design, setting, and participants

For this cohort study, 2 study populations were defined: the overall Medicare population and the clinically vulnerable subgroup of Med

SUBMITTER: Colla CH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4969198 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature