title: The ACO paradox impacting physicians.
abstract: Accountable care organizations (ACOs) would hold care providers jointly accountable for the quality and costs of care, allow consumers the freedom to choose their providers, and involve physicians and consumers in their shared decision-making. Even though the ACO model proposes physician empowerment, it also poses significant financial and change-management challenges for physicians. Furthermore, the "patient-centered" ACOs that have been established to safeguard consumer sovereignty pose the risks of concentrating healthcare markets further and exacerbating the existing disparities in healthcare. We conducted a survey study to understand physicians' perspectives of ACOs by seeking their first-hand feedback. The survey results suggest that there are significant communication gaps between physicians and healthcare administrators; and efficient communication can help improve physician-administrator alignment and help them identify opportunities that would be critical to the success of ACOs.
authors: University of Scranton, 116 Blue Springs Terrace, Danville, PA 17821, USA. gunjrita@yahoo.com
authors: Gunjan
authors: G
authors: Bansal
authors: Daniel J
authors: DJ
authors: West
mesh_terms: D060866:Accountable Care Organizations; D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003363:Cost Control; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D017146:Models, Organizational; D010819:Physician's Role; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014481:United States