Your Chiropractic Practice Model: Accountable Care Organizations

An accountable care organization (ACO) is a type of payment and health care delivery model established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It ties provider reimbursements to quality metrics and reductions in the total cost of care for an assigned population of patients. While chiropractors are not eligible to form an ACO, ACOs can be comprised of health care providers representing any number of specialties, including chiropractic. Each ACO is accountable for 5,000 or more Medicare beneficiaries annually for a three-year period. During that time, members of the ACO can earn shared savings in the first performance year by accurately and completely reporting across four quality domains; and in the second and third performance years based on their per-year performance relative to the 33 quality measures within those four domains. The quality and cost-effectiveness of chiropractic services makes the participation of chiropractors in ACOs a highly attractive option.