The Medicare accountable care organizations won’t be judged solely on how much money they save. The quality of care they provide patients also will be judged against national benchmarks. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will use patient surveys, billing data, electronic health records, and an online reporting tool to measure how successful the hospitals and doctor groups are at the following:
- Providing timely appointments and access to specialists
- Communicating with patients
- Helping patients to avoid readmission after a hospitalization
