Cleveland Clinic, other high profile systems may not participate in federal ACO program

The Cleveland Clinic and other high profile systems that were the models for the Obama administration’s accountable care organization proposal have so many concerns about the proposed rule that they may not participate in the federal ACO program (Source: “Model ACO Health Centers Skeptical of Proposed Rule,” Congressional Quarterly via Commonwealth Fund, May 6, 2011).

The 2010 federal health reform legislation created the authority to establish ACOs—networks of providers within the Medicare system that include physicians, hospitals and health systems, with an  aim to integrate networks to improve the quality of care and to save money. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule at the end of March that details how the program will work, how much financial risk medical providers will face, and what type of data the organization need to collect.

Oliver "Pudge" Henkle, the chief government relations officer at the Cleveland Clinic, said, "The assumption has been that Cleveland Clinics of the world are ideally suited for this. We are very supportive of the idea. It's clearly the right way to go and the journey is a good one. But it's a matter of recommending ways in which we think CMS can make the ACO model and its structure better."