Nursing

News spotlight: ACO final rules ease requirements, reduce risk

Nurse Leader Weekly, October 24, 2011

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Federal health, trade and anti-trust agencies on Thursday released their long-awaited set of final rules governing accountable care organizations, with major concessions to the original plan that had soured many healthcare leaders and physicians against participating.


The 696-page document, 267 pages longer than the proposed rule, includes more generous shared savings incentives, omits 32 of the 65 original quality measures, and gives ACO candidates more time to get started.

A critical change is that the rule no longer requires that 50% of participating physicians be approved under meaningful use requirements for electronic health record use.


Compared with the proposed rule, there are many more opportunities for new ACOs to participate without absorbing risk in the earlier years, as well as major changes in at least 10 other critical areas, revisions that many health leaders think will encourage more providers to sign up.

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Source: HealthLeaders Media



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