Adopting the ACO Model: Identifying Stakeholder Perspectives on Care Coordination for Complex Populations
Public Deposited- Last Modified
- February 26, 2019
- Creator
-
Bane, Marissa
- Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management
- Abstract
- Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are groups of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers who come together voluntarily to give coordinated, high quality care to patients with complex health needs. Children with disabilities have some of the most complex health needs and often experience poor health outcomes. In 2013, Partners for Kids (PFK), a pediatric ACO in Ohio, took on disabled children in 34 counties throughout the state who were classified as Aged/Blind/Disabled (ABD) to more effectively manage their care. Because pediatric ACOs are relatively new, there is currently little research available on them. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to learn how PFK prepared to take on the ABD population, what types of care coordination strategies were used to coordinate care, and the metrics put in place to evaluate success. In-depth interviews were conducted with PFK stakeholders to understand their perspectives on caring for the ABD population. Results from these interviews suggest that an ACO like PFK prepares itself for taking on complex pediatric populations by addressing concerns from key stakeholders, such as caregivers who do not want their children receiving care coordination services. The ACO also works to build a strong infrastructure, such as putting together a team of care coordinators. Next, to coordinate care for patients with complex health needs, an ACO utilizes many different strategies related to staffing and technology. Staffing strategies include care coordinators identifying how they can best meet the unique health needs of each patient, and prioritizing communication to improve efficiency amongst staff and patients. Another care coordination strategy is to implement relevant forms of technology; for instance, the use of an electronic health record (EHR) allows the ACO to store patient information in a secure, centralized system to better coordinate their care. Lastly, an ACO relies on informal and formal feedback to evaluate success, using metrics related to health outcomes and cost.
- Date of publication
- spring 2016
- Keyword
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Note
- Funding: None
- Advisor
- Song, Paula
- Degree
- Bachelor of Science in Public Health
- Honors level
- Highest Honors
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Extent
- 48 p.
Relations
- Parents:
This work has no parents.