Groups of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers who voluntarily come together to provide coordinated high quality care to their Medicare patients are called what?

• A. Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)
• B. Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs)
• C. Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs)
• D. Integrated Delivery Networks (IDNs)

Answer: (A)

Groups of doctors, hospitals, and other providers who voluntarily come together to coordinate care for a defined group of Medicare patients focus on making sure patients receive the right care at the right time, while avoiding unnecessary duplication and waste. They share responsibility for the total care of these patients and are held to quality and cost targets. If they meet those targets, they share the savings they achieve with Medicare. This arrangement specifically emphasizes coordinated, value-based care for Medicare beneficiaries, which is why it fits the description.

Other models differ in structure and incentives: HMOs typically require patients to use a tightly managed network with a primary care gatekeeper; PPOs offer broader provider choice with negotiated rates but less coordination requirements; integrated delivery networks encompass a broad, often vertically integrated system but aren’t defined by the Medicare-savings and shared-ment metrics that characterize accountable care organizations.