Study Examining Cost of Poorly Coordinated Care Could Help ACOs

A new study funded by the Aetna Foundation will examine the impact of poorly coordinated care on the quality and cost of care, according to a release by the Aetna Foundation.

The two-year study, focusing on patients with chronic illnesses, could provide data to help accountable care organizations be more effective. A key goal of ACOs is to reduce costs and improve quality through better coordinated care.

"We lack a good understanding of the true impact of poor care-coordination on both health care quality and costs," said Anne C. Beal, MD, president of the Aetna Foundation. "Providing a credible evidence base is an important first step in building solutions to ensure that all patients receive high-quality care and avoid health setbacks.”

Using Medicare claims data, researchers from the RAND Corporation will measure fragmentation of care, such as dispersion of patient visits among providers and the sequence of visits of doctors' offices, inpatient care and emergency room visits. They will also examine whether utilization rates for certain healthcare services are associated with care-fragmentation measures.

Read the Aetna Foundation release on ACOs.

Read more coverage of ACOs and care coordination:

- 10 Key Requirements Health Insurers Want CMS to Put on ACOs


- GAO Report Finds Integrated Systems Improve Care and Access, but Still Face Challenges


- 5 Critical ACO Success Factors

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