Getting your player ready...
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration Thursday released its much-awaited final rule for Medicare for accountable care organizations, or ACOs, which make it easier for doctors and hospitals to participate by cutting in half the number of performance measurements, removing the electronic health records requirement and eliminating financial risks for some groups.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also relaxed the timetable for the launch of the ACOs, with groups allowed to apply throughout 2012.
A move to ACOs has been seen as one of the most promising new models of delivering health care because it would reward doctors and hospitals for providing high-quality care to Medicare beneficiaries while keeping costs down.
