An ACCOUNTABLE CARE ORGANIZATION (ACO) is

a group of health care providers who work to deliver coordinated care

and are collectively accountable for the cost and quality of care.
ACOs HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
improve the quality of care and lower costs.
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MORE
THAN 1/2
of the measures are
impacted by medication use
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To show success,
ACOs MUST REPORT ON
SPECIFIC QUALITY MEASURES.
...BUT,
are ACOs ready to use medications
in achieving those goals?
Yes, many ACOs can:
70% Send Rx electronically
54% Merge medical & Rx data into one
database
50% Promote appropriate use of
generics
Key indicators of ACO capabilities show
the answer is YES AND NO.
But many ACOs arent:
7% Calculating cost offsets of
medications
9% Notifying a physician when a
prescription is filled
17% Using protocols to avoid medication
duplication or polypharmacy
22% Using quality metrics for a
diversity of conditions
How are ACOs using medications to improve care and drive down costs?
Stay tuned for a series of case studies to be published in
the Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy.
Source: Dubois RW, Feldman M, Lustig A, Kotzbauer G, Penso J, Pope SD, Westrich KD. Are ACOs
Ready to be Accountable for Medication Use? J Manag Care Pharm. 2014;20(1):17-21.