Six ACOs achieve NCQA accreditation

Six organizations have been named as accountable care organizations (ACO) by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA); NCQA accreditation is voluntary, but is a means for healthcare organizations to demonstrate ACO readiness. The six ACOs include HealthPartners in Minnesota, Billings (Mont.) Clinic, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Essentia Health in Minnesota, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic in Houston, and Crystal Run Healthcare in New York.

The assessment to become an NCQA-accredited ACO included 14 standards and 65 elements, such as patient-centered primary care, care management, access to providers, and care coordination and transitions. Accreditation, which is valid for three years, is designed “to show the efficiency, integration and high quality,” according to NCQA’s president. Although ACO accreditation comes with the cost of providers’ time and money, many experts predict ACO accreditation to become the norm in the coming years.

Source: Fierce Healthcare