Sample Answer for NUR 514 Topic 5 DQ 2 Define ACOs and discuss their impact on the contemporary health care system Included After Question
NUR 514 Topic 5 DQ 2 Define ACOs and discuss their impact on the contemporary health care system
Define ACOs and discuss their impact on the contemporary health care system. How do ACOs drive cost-effectiveness, innovation, and collaboration in the delivery of health care?
A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NUR 514 Topic 5 DQ 2 Define ACOs and discuss their impact on the contemporary health care system
Title: NUR 514 Topic 5 DQ 2 Define ACOs and discuss their impact on the contemporary health care system
Re: Topic 5 DQ 2
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are composed of physician groups, hospitals, and other professions that provide health care to provide quality, systematic care to Medicare patients. ACOs tend to reduce health care costs through the coordination of care that eliminates overlapping or duplicated methods of care. All members must collaborate to create a smooth transition in care to achieve maximum reimbursement. ACO members are driven to create innovations that improve care and reduce costs to receive full reimbursement from Medicare. Within this idea, many programs have been created to provide optimal patient outcomes. The total joint replacement initiative seeks to optimize patients, reduce the recovery period, minimize complications, and decrease health care costs. The joint replacement center addresses areas of nutrition, wound healing, deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis, pain control, medications for nausea, early ambulation, and physical and occupational therapy. These areas are addressed to prevent complications and hospital readmissions. Perioperative service at the hospital I work at has established clinical pathways that utilize evidence-based practices for optimal care. This is a beneficial scenario for patients. The nation’s health care personnel must collaborate to develop innovative ideas to maximize patient outcomes while reducing costs. D’Aunno et al. (2018) identify several factors of high-performing ACOs. These components are physician collaboration with hospitals, optimal physician group practice before ACO adoption, effective physician leaders focused on high-quality care, adept use of information systems, constructive feedback to physicians, and care coordinators (D’Aunno et al., 2018). Addressing these areas in an ACO will assist in providing optimal care with resultant reimbursement.
References NUR 514 Topic 5 DQ 2 Define ACOs and discuss their impact on the contemporary health care system
D’Aunno, T., Broffman, L., Sparer, M., & Kumar, S. R. (2018). Factors that distinguish high-performing accountable care organizations in the medicare shared savings program. Health Services Research, 53(1), 120–137. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.12642
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Re: Topic 5 DQ 2
McAlearney et al. (2018) states “Across the health care landscape in the United States, momentum is shifting away from volume-based care and building toward value-based care most often interpreted as a function of reducing cost while simultaneously improving quality.” (p. 4767) Accountable care organizations involve organizational partnerships for the purpose of coordinating patient care across the health care continuum to improve health outcomes. ACOs focus on outcomes as this is what drives reimbursement. Improving care while reducing costs may require innovative use of existing resources and use of innovative means of achieving treatment goals. Looking at the end result is a straightforward way of quantifying the efficacy, and quality of the services delivered by participating providers. 81% of ACOs involve new partnerships between independent health care organizations whose providers are motivated to partner for resource complementarity, risk reduction, and legislative requirements, and are using a variety of formal and informal accountability mechanisms.” (Lewis et al., 2017, p. 25) Value-based reimbursement creates the incentive for ACOs to manage patient care across health care settings, requiring improved care coordination among providers. These efforts reduce unnecessary health care utilization, improve patient outcomes, and reduce health care spending. (Agarwal & Werner, 2018)
References NUR 514 Topic 5 DQ 2 Define ACOs and discuss their impact on the contemporary health care system
Agarwal, D., & Werner, R. M. (2018). Effect of Hospital and Post-Acute Care Provider Participation in Accountable Care Organizations on Patient Outcomes and Medicare Spending. Health Services Research, 53(6), 5035–5056. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13023
Lewis, V. A., Tierney, K. I., Colla, C. H., & Shortell, S. M. (2017). The new frontier of strategic alliances in health care: New partnerships under accountable care organizations. Social Science & Medicine (1982), 190, 1–10. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.04.054
McAlearney, A. S., Walker, D. M., & Hefner, J. L. (2018). Moving Organizational Culture from Volume to Value: A Qualitative Analysis of Private Sector Accountable Care Organization Development. Health Services Research, 53(6), 4767–4788. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13012
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Re: Topic 5 DQ 2
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are groups of physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare providers, that work together to improve the quality and coordination of care services for a population of patients, with the end goal of providing the right care, in the right place, at the right time. “ACOs were implemented under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as a new approach in healthcare delivery for fee-for-service beneficiaries, to reduce unnecessary costs by facilitating coordination among providers” (Parasrampuria, et al., (2018, p. 388). By using common clinical pathways that integrate principles of treatment and therapeutic modalities in a diverse provider setting healthcare providers provide efficient, high quality, patient care.
According to Moy et al. (2021), “three core principles of ACOs are:
- Provider-led organizations with a strong base of primary care that is accountable for quality and per capita costs
- Payments linked to improvement in quality and reduced costs.
- Reliable and increasingly sophisticated measurement of performance, to support improvement and provide confidence care is improved, and cost savings occur.” (para. 3)
Primary care physicians collaborate with other ACO providers across the spectrum of health services to make sure patients receive the most appropriate care. By coordinating care among providers via health information technology, there is reduction in unnecessary or duplicate services or treatments which contributes to the cost effectiveness of ACOs. Payments are linked to value and quality, not volume. ACOs also encourage patient and family engagement in the plan of care, this contributes to better health outcomes, improved quality, and patient safety, lowers costs and enhances the patient care experience (Summers et al., 2015).
The goal of ACOs is to lower costs while improving the quality and experience of care. ACOs collaborative approach to care delivery improve the way patients receive care over time (Summers et al., 2015).
References NUR 514 Topic 5 DQ 2 Define ACOs and discuss their impact on the contemporary health care system
Moy, H., Giardino, A.P., & Varacallo, M. (2021). Accountable Care Organization. Stat
Pearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448136/
Parasrampuria, S., Oakes, A.H., Wu, S.S., Parikh, M.A., & Padula, W.V. (2018). Value and performance of accountable care organizations: A cost-minimization analysis. International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 34(4), 388-393. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266462318000399
Summers, L., De Lisle, K., Ness, D.L., Kennedy, L.B., & Muhlestein, D. (2015). The impact of accountable care: How accountable care impacts the way consumers receive care. https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/resources/health-care/impact-accountable-care.pdf
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NUR 514 Topic 5 DQ 2 Define ACOs and discuss their impact on the contemporary health care system Grading Rubric Guidelines
| Performance Category | 10 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Scholarliness
Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic decisions. |
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| Performance Category | 10 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Application of Course Knowledge –
Demonstrate the ability to analyze, synthesize, and/or apply principles and concepts learned in the course lesson and outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations |
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| Performance Category | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Interactive Dialogue
Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days. (5 points possible per graded thread) |
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Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week. |
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| Minus 1 Point | Minus 2 Point | Minus 3 Point | Minus 4 Point | Minus 5 Point | |
| Grammar, Syntax, APA
Note: if there are only a few errors in these criteria, please note this for the student in as an area for improvement. If the student does not make the needed corrections in upcoming weeks, then points should be deducted. Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition |
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| 0 points lost | -5 points lost | ||||
| Total Participation Requirements
per discussion thread |
The student answers the threaded discussion question or topic on one day and posts a second response on another day. | The student does not meet the minimum requirement of two postings on two different days | |||
| Early Participation Requirement
per discussion thread |
The student must provide a substantive answer to the graded discussion question(s) or topic(s), posted by the course instructor (not a response to a peer), by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT of each week. | The student does not meet the requirement of a substantive response to the stated question or topic by Wednesday at 11:59 pm MT. |