Accountable Care Organizations Five Years Later: How the Pioneer ACO Initiative has Achieved Expectations
Open Access
Author:
Yerger, Elizabeth Heininger
Area of Honors:
Actuarial Science
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
David Arthur Cather, Thesis Supervisor Ron Gebhardtsbauer, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
actuarial science risk management health insurance accountable care organizations medicare
Abstract:
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the landmark health care reform legislation of 2010, encouraged the creation and growth of accountable care organizations (ACOs). These unique provider organizations work with payers to negotiate different methods of payment that better align with incentives to provide high-quality care at a lower cost. Part of the legislation established several initiatives run by Medicare to pilot and develop ACOs. One of these initiatives, the Pioneer ACO Model, recently completed its first three-year performance period. This thesis will establish the creation and evolution of ACOs within the larger narrative of American health care, identify the key theorized advantages of ACOs, and draw upon the results of the Pioneer ACO Model to evaluate how ACOs have achieved their initial expectations in the five years since the passage of the PPACA.
