What distinguishes a PCMH from an accountable care organization (ACO)?

The distinction between a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) and an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) primarily lies in their fundamental purposes and frameworks. The PCMH is a care delivery model focused on providing comprehensive, coordinated, and patient-centered care. It emphasizes strong primary care practices that ensure better health outcomes for patients through accessibility, effective communication, and proactive management of health conditions.

In contrast, an ACO represents a financing model designed to improve care and reduce costs across a group of providers, including hospitals and specialty care providers. ACOs emphasize accountability for the quality and cost of care for populations of patients, creating incentives to work collaboratively toward shared goals while managing resources efficiently.

This distinction clarifies that the PCMH structure revolves around delivering patient-centric care, while the ACO framework is oriented towards a coordinated care payment strategy that facilitates collaboration among varied healthcare providers. Understanding this difference is crucial for healthcare professionals engaged in optimizing care delivery and managing healthcare resources effectively.