The results of a study published in the Health Services Research journal show the majority of physician practices have not joined accountable care organizations.
Researchers surveyed 1,183 physician practices. They found that 35 percent of the physician groups have already joined an ACO or plan to join one soon, and 60 percent have not joined an ACO and have no plans of joining one.
Researchers also found physician groups who have already joined an ACO are more likely to have 100 or more physicians and are less likely to be owned by a hospital. That may be because of financial incentives under accountable care to reduce costly hospital admissions, the study said.
However, the study suggests ACO participation may be linked to improved patient care. When measured in 25 areas of care management, patient engagement and quality, the physician practices with no plans to join an ACO scored lowest, and practices already under an accountable care contract ranked highest, according to the study.
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