Why Support Accountable Care Organizations?

Posted by Magnolia Gibson and Eric Kupersmith, MD, SFHM on August 3, 2018

A College Student’s Perspective on ACOs.

Besides worrying about the uncertainty of finding a job paying off my student loans after college, the possibility of not having access to health care keeps me up at night. I’m entering my junior year at Rider University studying political science, and I’m a summer intern with Cooper’s Population Management team for the summer.
I asked my mentor Dr. Kupersmith, why should we care about Accountable Care Organizations? As an internal medicine doctor, he explained that our country’s current healthcare system is unsustainable for our health and our parent’s health. We spend way too much on healthcare. To maximize the value of the system, providers must offer every patient high quality care at a low cost. As a result, the ACO model allows the healthcare system to profit while the patient receives exceptional treatment. It eliminates the redundancy of treatment by encouraging the provider to serve the patient right the first time. Additionally, ACOs reduce the likelihood of patients being readmitted, while rewarding physicians for effectively handling them. Dr. Kupersmith enjoys giving patients the freedom to live their best healthy life while being rewarded for providing a compassionate approach to care.
For the future, Dr. Kupersmith is very optimistic about the growth of ACOs. He sees an expansion of incentives to motivate organizations to join ACOs along with penalties to systems that don’t comply. My internship at Cooper and my political studies made me realize the importance of the ACO environment, and the government must support the movement for a meaningful impact. I’m at ease knowing that my family and I can reap the benefits of being a part of an ACO centric society. My generation has the power to change the way healthcare operates, while allowing our parents and generations to come to lead long, fruitful lives.