New report says ACOs will bring many challenges for physician practices

Accountable care in the United States is much more than the Medicare Shared Savings Program, often referred to as the "Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Program." States and private health plans are already contracting for healthcare services with ACO-like mechanisms for tying quality and cost to reimbursement, explains Jane Metzger, principal researcher with the Waltham, Mass.-based Emerging Practices group of the CSC Corporation, a healthcare research organization based in Falls Church, Va.