More the 150,000 beneficiaries in Eastern Massachusetts have or soon will receive notice of enrollment, and many are unfamiliar with the program and/or fear their choices for care will be restricted, according to the report. Some health systems, including Boston-based Partners HealthCare, are now forced to describe the program to callers and explain that it will not restrict their access, signaling a need for ACO-participating hospitals to prepare for the onslaught of these calls and have resources available to handle them.
If beneficiaries decide they do not want to participate, they may opt out of sharing their data with the program.
Related Articles on ACOs:
AHA Asks CMS, OIG to Finalize ACO Fraud & Abuse Waivers
NEJM: ACOs Won’t Carry “Out of Shape” Hospitals to Success
Survey: 55% of Payors Plan to Participate in ACOs Over Next 3 Years
