A recent report found more employers considering adoption of the Accountable Care Organization model of employer-sponsored benefits.
Businesses are looking at the model's potential to lower costs and improve care quality, partly due to growing concerns about their ability to offer coverage without decreasing the extent of benefits.
"ACOs reduce cost by providing plan participants the right care at the right time. By improving access to primary care, plan participants can avoid emergency room visits, which results in a financial reward for the ACO and shared savings with the sponsoring organization or organizations," said one researcher.
Researchers found 28 percent were very interested in the ACO model and 37 percent were somewhat interested. The remaining 35 percent displayed little or no interest. More than 80 percent of companies investigating ACOs were drawn by the potential quality of care or the ability to manage costs.
Of those interested, fewer than half cited pricing transparency as a reason, while two-thirds were hopeful of improved patient outcomes. As interest develops and businesses investigate their alternatives, it remains to be seen how many will adopt the ACO model.
