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AMA establishes new principles for accountable care organizations
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The American Medical Association has recently announced policy changes that include new principles for the development and operation of accountable care organizations.
The new principles emphasize that accountable care organizations (ACOs) must be physician-led, place patients’ interest first, enable independent physician participation and ensure voluntary physician and patient participation.
 Cecil B. Wilson |
“The AMA is committed to ensuring physicians in all practice sizes can lead and participate successfully in new models that allow them to provide the best care to their patients,” Cecil B. Wilson, MD, American Medical Association (AMA) president, stated in a press release. “For this to happen, significant barriers must be addressed, including a lack of resources, existing antitrust rules and conflicting federal policies.”
The announcement comes on the heels of a recent joint government agency meeting wherein Wilson testified that there should be enough flexibility for physicians in all practice sizes to participate in ACOs.
ACOs and other models of patient care were authorized in the new health reform law. However, according to the release, existing antitrust and fraud rules can make it difficult for physicians to become part of an ACO. This is especially true in the case of small practices.
According to a recent AMA Physician Practice survey, 78% of office-based physicians in the United States work in practices with nine physicians or less – with the majority of those in either solo practice or practices of two to four physicians.
Reference:
www.ama-assn.org
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