MA Medical Society Expresses Concern About ACOs

As I have said before, Massachusetts is the bell weather for what the future of health care looks like under the ACA. To try to slow down medical cost increases in the state, global payments are being considered. However, the MMS has its concerns:

The society's greatest concern, according to Coombs, is the disparity among providers that would easily integrate into an ACO environment and others that lack the appropriate technology or funding to adopt the ACO framework, including a global payment system.

"We support the notion that an integrated healthcare delivery system is a good thing," she told HealthLeaders. "However, there are physicians within our membership that lack the infrastructure to be able to transition into an accountable care organization at this stage. We encourage a pluralistic compensation system to include fee-for-service, salary, and limited pilot studies that utilize global payment system."

MMS expressed additional concerns about the ACO model, saying in a statement that it remains an untested method of healthcare financing and can pose unintended consequences that can impair the physician-patient relationship.