The number of U.S. patients receiving care from an accountable care organization (ACO) is expected to increase from 40 million in 2015 to more than 130 million by 2017, according to a recent report from the Dallas-based Parks Associates, a market research and consulting company.
The research firm says the new emphasis on performance-based metrics and payment will boost usage of this business model as well as the healthcare technologies that promise to improve care outcomes.
“Reforms to the healthcare financial model tie compensation to care outcomes, and ACOs, built on the coordinated care model, align well with this new emphasis," Harry Wang, director, health & mobile product research, Parks Associates, said in a statement.
Parks Associates expects ACOs to generate nearly $1 billion in care management revenues this year.
"The digital health markets need to develop business models that make sense while organizations are transitioning to these different care reimbursement models," added Sandra Elliott, director, consumer technology and service development, at the N.J.-based Meridian Health. "Health and technology providers should focus on providing end-to-end scalable solutions that offer financial benefits to purchasers while showing value to patients as individuals by enabling them to live their life to the fullest, thus encouraging strong consumer engagement."
