Banner Health, the parent company of 13 Arizona hospitals, is “engaged in serious discussions with private insurers” about the implementation of an accountable care organization, according to an op-ed written by Peter S. Fine, Banner’s president and CEO, in The Arizona Republic.
“Doubtless, there will be those who will decry ACOs as a by-product of [healthcare] reform and therefore unworthy of consideration. However, ACOs and similar collaborative models are moving forward whether [healthcare] reform is implemented or not,” Mr. Fine says in the report.
Mr. Fine went on to say the ingredients for the ACO model are in place, but the system also needs the support of elected state officials.
While the majority of the system’s hospitals are in Arizona, Banner also operates facilities in California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming.
Read the Arizona Republic op-ed by Peter S. Fine on Banner’s consideration of an accountable care organization.
Read about other hospitals and health systems starting ACOs:
–CEO: ACO May Help Wyoming Medical Center Beat Competition from Out-of-State Hospitals
–8 Aspects of UnitedHealthcare’s Plans to Fund an ACO at Tucson Medical Center
