Accountable Care Organization (ACO)

Accountable Care Organizations, or ACOs, are groups of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers, who come together voluntarily to provide coordinated, high-quality care to Medicare patients. Coordinated care helps patients, especially chronically ill patients, receive the right care, at the right time, and in the most effective setting for the patient.

When doctors and other health care providers work together to coordinate patient care, the outcomes can result in higher quality and lower cost care. Doctors always want to provide high-quality care to their patients, but are sometimes challenged by how best to communicate with each other to ensure timely, coordinated care. ACOs, like BIDCO, create systems and incentives for health care providers to work together to treat individual patients and populations of patients across the care continuum. 

It is important to know that patients do not “join” an ACO; rather, doctors and hospitals can choose to participate in an ACO. If your doctor participates in an ACO you will automatically receive the benefits of an ACO, including better coordinated care. Your Medicare benefits remain unchanged regardless of whether your doctor participates in an ACO.
For more information on Medicare or ACOs, please visit www.medicare.gov or call 1-800 MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048 for any questions/concerns. You may also contact BIDCO’s ACO staff listed below for any questions.

Katherine Record
Compliance Officer
katherine.l.record@lahey.org or by phone at 978-471-0214

Nicole DeVita
Chief Operating Officer
nicole.devita@bilh.org or by phone at 978-236-1655

Eryn Eddy
Director of Business Affairs and Communications
eleddy@bidmc.harvard.edu or by phone at 617-754-1080

ACO Resources and Materials:

Advancing Care Information (ACI) Reporting for Groups Participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP)

Public Reporting

Public Disclosure for ACO Participation Waiver

MIPS Eligibility Sample Letter for Medicare-Enrolled Providers

MSSP Provider/Supplier List