What is an ACO?

An Accountable Care Organization (ACO) is a group of doctors and other healthcare providers who agree to work together with Medicare to give you the best possible care.

The goal of the ACO is to support your doctor in caring for you by making sure they have the most up-to-date information about your health and your care. For you, this means your doctors communicate better with each other, and you avoid having duplicate tests, or answering the same questions over and over.

Working together, your doctors and care team can do more to follow your health, make sure you get the best possible care, and keep you well.

For you, coordinating your care may mean that we help you set up appointments, or make sure your medications are in order when you enter or leave the hospital. We may help get equipment for you to monitor your medical conditions better at home, if needed, or help solve transportation issues.

Doctors and other healthcare providers choose to participate in an ACO because they're committed to your health, and to provide you with a better experience. They may also be rewarded for offering you better, more coordinated care. If your doctor chooses to participate in an ACO, you will be notified, either in person or by letter.

An ACO isn't the same as a Medicare Advantage Plan or Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). You're still in original Medicare, and your Medicare benefits, services, rights and protections won't change. You still have the right to use any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare at any time, the same way you do now.

St. Joseph Health Partners ACO is a network of individual practices, ACO professionals, Hospital employing ACO professionals, Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) billing under Method II Medicare Shared Savings Program Track: Track 1 (one-sided model: shared savings).

St. Joseph Health Partners. We're all about better healthcare, because we're all about you.

Find out if your doctor is in the St. Joseph Health Partners ACO network.

For general questions or additional information about Accountable Care Organizations, please visit www.medicare.gov/acos.html or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.