What is an Accountable Care Organization (ACO)?

• ACOs are groups of doctors and other healthcare providers who voluntarily work together with Medicare to give patients high-quality service and care at the right time in the right setting.
• Hartford HealthCare has agreed to participate in a Medicare Shared Savings ACO and to work closely with other doctors and healthcare providers in the ACO to coordinate care for Medicare beneficiaries who have traditional Medicare.
• The ACO may share in any savings that result from providing you with high-quality and more coordinated care.

ACOs do not change a patient's Medicare benefits

• An ACO is not a Medicare Advantage plan or an HMO plan.
• If patients have traditional Medicare, they still have the right, at any time, to use any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare.
• We may continue to recommend that patients see particular doctors for their specific health needs, but it’s always the patient's choice about what doctors they use.

How will an ACO help doctors coordinate patient care?

• Patients benefit because their doctors are part of a better coordinated team.
• Patients may not have to fill out as many medical forms that ask for the same information.
• Each of our doctors will not only know about the health issues they’ve treated, they also will have a more complete picture of a patient's health through talking with other doctors in the ACO.

Learn more at integratedcarepartners.org