Survey Suggests ACO Aspirations Unrealistic

A survey of 115 C-level hospital executives across 35 states shows that about 18 percent of them currently participate in an accountable care organization, up from almost five percent in the spring of 2012.


A survey of 115 C-level hospital executives across 35 states shows that about 18 percent of them currently participate in an accountable care organization, up from almost five percent in the spring of 2012. But half of respondents expect to be in an ACO by the end of 2014.

Whether that lofty figure can be reached remains to be seen. Provider alliance Premier Inc. conducted the new survey in August but only recently released results. The spring 2012 survey found that nearly 52 percent of respondents expected to be in the ACO arena by the end of 2013. Now, Premier estimates only 23.5 percent will reach that goal.

According to results of the most recent survey:

* Non-rural hospitals are most likely to participate in an ACO, followed by hospitals in integrated delivery systems; and rural hospitals are least likely to participate, followed by standalone facilities.

* Large hospitals are moving more quickly toward ACOs than smaller ones, although the majority of surveyed hospitals are making infrastructure investments to manage population health.

* These investments include lifestyle and wellness coaching by more than 70 percent of respondents, telemedicine by almost half of rural facilities compared with one-third of non-rural hospitals, and patient-centered medical homes, which are popular for all types.

* Fifty-one percent of responding hospitals are partnering with large local employers to improve care.

* Large numbers of respondents are gearing up for analytics to support population health. More than 72 percent are integrating claims and clinical data, half are using predictive analytics to forecast needs and 46 percent are using a data warehouse to reduce information silos.

* More than 40 percent are partnering with insurers, particularly for upside-only shared savings programs.

Additional survey results are available here.

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