The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that 27 Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) have entered its Shared Savings Program, created by the Affordable Care Act to facilitate coordination and cooperation among providers to improve the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries.
The 27 ACOs have entered into agreements with CMS to take part in the program, and bring the total number of participating organizations to 65. Over one million beneficiaries are receiving care from providers participating in Medicare shared savings initiatives as of April 1st. Strict standards, including 33 quality measures, are in place to ensure that ACOs achieve savings with appropriate, safe, and timely healthcare.
Technologies that enable and enhance the engagement of patients in their own healthcare, such as patient portals and kiosks, can play a major role in effective accountable care. An Electronic Health Records (EHR) system such as Medisoft Clinical, Lytec MD, McKesson Practice Choice, or Allscripts MyWay can assist with this, and Microwize Technology stands ready to implement EHR systems for providers and help facilitate greater efficiency and better care.