Physician practice participation in accountable care organizations: the emergence of the unicorn.

TitlePhysician practice participation in accountable care organizations: the emergence of the unicorn.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2014
AuthorsShortell SM, McClellan SR, Ramsay PP, Casalino LP, Ryan AM, Copeland KR
JournalHealth Serv Res
Volume49
Issue5
Pagination1519-36
Date Published2014 Oct
ISSN1475-6773
KeywordsAccountable Care Organizations, Asthma, Coronary Disease, Delivery of Health Care, Depression, Diabetes Mellitus, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Patient-Centered Care, Physician's Role, Practice Patterns, Physicians', United States
Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To provide the first nationally based information on physician practice involvement in ACOs.

DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Primary data from the third National Survey of Physician Organizations (January 2012-May 2013).

STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a 40-minute phone survey in a sample of physician practices. A nationally representative sample of practices was surveyed in order to provide estimates of organizational characteristics, care management processes, ACO participation, and related variables for four major chronic illnesses.

DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: We evaluated the associations between ACO participation, organizational characteristics, and a 25-point index of patient-centered medical home processes.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We found that 23.7 percent of physician practices (n = 280) reported joining an ACO; 15.7 percent (n = 186) were planning to become involved within the next 12 months and 60.6 percent (n = 717) reported no involvement and no plans to become involved. Larger practices, those receiving patients from an IPA and/or PHO, those that were physician-owned versus hospital/health system-owned, those located in New England, and those with greater patient-centered medical home (PCMH) care management processes were more likely to have joined an ACO.

CONCLUSIONS: Physician practices that are currently participating in ACOs appear to be relatively large, or to be members of an IPA or PHO, are less likely to be hospital-owned and are more likely to use more care management processes than nonparticipating practices.

DOI10.1111/1475-6773.12167
Alternate JournalHealth Serv Res
PubMed ID24628449
PubMed Central IDPMC4213047
Grant ListP30 DK092949 / DK / NIDDK NIH HHS / United States
Category: 
Faculty Publication