By The King’s Fund (2014)
The health system in England is facing a number of challenges including an ageing population, an increasing number of people with multiple, long-term conditions and a difficult financial climate. To meet these challenges, more integrated approaches to care delivery are needed to improve both the quality of care and patients’ experience. In the United States, ACOs – a group of providers that take responsibility for providing all the care for a given population for a specified period of time – have been developed to provide a more integrated approach to care.This paper describes the different types of ACOs emerging in the United States; presents some early evidence on their performance; assesses the future for ACOs; and discusses the implication of these developments for integrated care initiatives in England.