The Success of California's ACO Model

The Berkeley Healthcare Forum group at the University of California, Berkeley, recently published a report: A New Vision for California’s Healthcare System, which highlighted the changes in California's healthcare system, which is moving toward integrated care by building Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs).

The Berkley Healthcare Forum group is a collaboration between private and public health care leaders representing the major health insurance plans, healthcare delivery systems, medical groups,and state agencies. Their report estimates that more than 1.3 million Californians will be receiving care from ACOs within the next year. With 67 ACOs, California leads the country with the highest number of these intergracted care delivery systems.

A blog on Health Affairs says that California’s ACOs are rapidly moving toward the goal of 60% of the population receiving care in integrated systems by 2022, which the authors say would simultaneously reduce the state’s healthcare expenditures by nearly 30%.