Dr Joe Antos on the Changing Dynamics of ACOs in the Future

While Joe Antos, PhD, the Wilson H. Taylor Scholar in Health Care and Retirement Policy at the American Enterprise Institute, believes that the ACO model is here to stay, he said that the way these organizations operate are likely to change.

Transcript (slightly modified)

Are ACOs here to stay or are they a stepping stone to another delivery model?

Well, my crystal ball is a little unclear at the moment as far as what the next thing is. But, the term ACO is going to be with us for some time but the way they operate, and the ACOs that are now in place, I think are going to continue for a considerable amount of time. But I think the rules under which they operate will change and I think that’s a good thing.

They themselves have proposed changes to make it more possible for them to reach out to clients, reach out to patients, do a better job of directing patients to, let me call them, in-network providers, and this whole idea of having an in-network plan makes sense. This is what we have for the under 65 population, virtually everyone who has insurance has the option of going in-network or out of network. That’s the idea. So this is an idea that’s here to stay, but the specifics are going to change. I hope for the better.