Our April Health TechNet meeting focused on Accountable Care Organizations ("ACOs") which was a fortunate coincidence, since several hundred pages of regulations on this program had just been released by CMS. ACOs are aimed at promoting integration at the provider and payor levels.
The meeting featured the presentations of Suniti Ponkshe who is with Accenture and a consultant to the Center for Innovation at CMS, as well as Pillsbury Health Care attorneys David Main, Gerry Hinkley and Allen Briskin. The speakers provided us with an overview on 1) the goals of the program from both governmental and private sector perspectives, 2) organizational and operational challenges facing ACOs, based in part on past history with similar models of care delivery, 3) highlights of the new regulations, and 4) technology requirements and challenges for ACOs.
The presentations of the speakers were followed by an active discussion among our members. Available presentations are attached.