What's a surgeon's role in an ACO? Not much so far, survey says

Accountable Care Organizations have given little attention to surgery in the early years of the Medicare program, choosing to focus instead on managing chronic conditions and reducing hospital readmissions. That's according to a case study and survey published this week in the journal Health Affairs. The authors conducted case studies at four ACOs in 2012 and sent a survey to all 59 Medicare ACOs in the first year of the program, with 30 responding. "I'm a surgeon, so I was really curious as this model probably continues to gain steam, what's this going to mean for me?" said lead author James M. Dupree, a urologist at Baylor College of Medicine.