Provider organizations hoping to become an accountable care organization in the Medicare Shared Savings Program next year should focus on three key activities, according to a Premier blog post.
The post, written by Seth Edwards, manager of federal affairs at Premier, suggests hospitals and physician practices focus on the following:
1. Engaging physicians. "It'll be critical to start outreach to potential partners for your ACO early," Mr. Edwards wrote. If more physicians are part of the ACO, the organization will have more beneficiaries — meaning the ACO's minimum savings rate is lower (for Track 1 ACOs).
2. Forming the ACO vehicle. An ACO vehicle can be a clinically integrated system or a physician hospital organization, for instance. Either way, the vehicle will likely need a separate legal entity and new governance structure.
3. Completing a population health capabilities assessment. Performing this assessment can help find gaps in care that "may prevent you from realizing the full potential of the program," according to the blog post.
Mr. Edwards signed off with this last suggestion: "Regardless of the model your organization chooses, understanding your market and knowing your competition is a must to survive in the current healthcare landscape."
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