The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) defines an ACO as a group of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers who deliver coordinated high-quality care to Medicare patients. The goal of coordinated care is to ensure that patients, especially the chronically ill, get the right care at the right time, while avoiding unnecessary duplication of services and preventing medical errors. Commercial health plans, hospitals, and physicians also are developing ACOs to serve patients outside of the Medicare and Medicaid programs and the goals are similar: delivery high quality, appropriate care while controlling the costs of care. Most ACOs are designed to emphasize primary care and be accountable for the cost and quality of care.
