Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM

This retrospective cohort study compared the results of 5 Medicare Shared Savings Program accountable care organizations (ACOs) vs both ACO benchmarks and regional comparators over 4 years.

Among a group of primary care accountable care organizations, patients with hypertension were 50% less likely to have a blood pressure recorded in April compared with February.

In the context of 2 primary care physician–led accountable care organizations, Medicare Annual Wellness Visits were associated with lower healthcare costs and improved clinical care quality for beneficiaries.

This article provides a detailed description of a Medicare Shared Savings Program accountable care organization (ACO)'s actions and results, to increase understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing ACOs-particularly those comprised of independent practices.

The authors discuss 4 tech-dependent innovations that will be major keys to the sustained success of ACOs.

Transactional data from the Surescripts electronic prescribing network may be used to track electronic health record adoption efficiently and with regional granularity.