Buck Bond Group

ACOs: The Link to Engaging Employees in Health Care?

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Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) aim to transform health care delivery and provider payment in a way that improves patient access, engagement, and quality of care.

If successful, ACOs may help the U.S. health care system to finally evolving from a “diagnose, treat, and reimburse mostly acute, episodic health care” approach, to one that encourages and compensates health care providers that work with their patients throughout a full continuum of care to prevent and manage chronic conditions.

What are the implications for ACOs from a workforce health perspective? ACOs were built on a framework for delivering evidence-based health care interventions to engage patients in managing and improving their health – but to what extent do ACOs or employers actually follow such a framework and how can these interventions be integrated with workplace health improvement and wellness efforts?

Steven Halterman and Melinda Balezentis, formerly Directors in our Health practice, explore the mechanisms for impacting workforce health in this Benefits Quarterly article. They also provide a checklist to assist employers with evaluating ACOs and assessing feasibility of potential ACO integration with workplace health improvement programs.