Lower Spending Associated with Enrollment in ACOs

Enrollment in a Medicare accountable care organization (ACO) is linked to reductions in health spending as well as fewer emergency department visits and hospitalizations, a new study finds. Writing in JAMA Internal Medicine, Commonwealth Fund–supported researchers led by Carrie H. Colla of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice found that spending reductions were greatest for “clinically vulnerable” enrollees—those with multiple acute or chronic medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.