When do you know ACOs are here to stay?
Answer: When they form an industry association! Back in February, a group came together to form a national association for ACOs (NAACOS) to, according to the announcement press release, promote the growth of the model, industry standards, best practice sharing and vendor engagement. What was missing from the press release was fixed on the web site which adds as goal #2: “Participate with Federal Agencies in the development and implementation of public policy”. In other words: lobbying. And, of course, as the model evolves from Medicare to commercial and Medicaid populations, state level policy will also need