title: ACOs: time for ED managers to get involved, shape how their departments will add value.
abstract: Even with a proposed rule outlining how accountable care organizations (ACO) will be structured under fee-for-service Medicare, emergency medicine experts are concerned about how ACOs will impact patient access to the ED. Further, some see a clear need to beef-up case management staff, while others say ED managers need to get involved with ACO-development now so their interests and concerns are represented. Under a proposed rule unveiled by the Department of Health and Human Services, a handful of quality indicators will require the tracking of ED visits related to certain ambulatory care-sensitive conditions; experts say it could be a challenge for ED staff to differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate use of the ED. EDs that figure out how to contribute value under the ACO mission will be better positioned to prosper under the new model. The ACO model is likely to add considerable complexity to billing and reimbursement.
mesh_terms: D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006740:Hospital Administrators; D006801:Humans; D017146:Models, Organizational; D024382:Professional Role; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012941:Social Responsibility; D014481:United States