A new Commonwealth Fund–supported study of Partners HealthCare (Health Affairs, Apr. 2017), one of the nation’s largest Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs), uncovered a factor that may limit the potential of these entities to improve care quality while reducing costs. Researcher John Hsu, M.D., and colleagues found substantial turnover in physician ACO participation, with just over half of doctors affiliated with Partners over a three-year period. And when they left the ACO, most of their patients followed.
High Physician Turnover May Partly Explain ACOs’ Limited Success
