Accountable Care Organizations
Healthcare finance is a complicated topic that involves multiple players and organizations all working together with one overarching goal in mind: the improvement of patient care. In this course, you learned about various organizational structures in healthcare and the purposes of financial reporting in healthcare. You also became familiar with the various types of health insurance and reimbursement in the United States, along with the current transition to value-based reimbursement.
For this assignment, imagine that you are a doctor at a mid-sized community clinic. Dr. Peterson, a doctor in your practice, suggests creating an accountable care organization (ACO) with other hospitals and healthcare providers to provide quality healthcare to Medicare patients. The other doctors in the practice are not too sure about this, mostly because they don’t understand what an ACO is and what function it serves. Since you are the most junior physician on the staff and just one year out of medical school, Dr. Peterson nominates you to write a memo to the other staff members that will address their concerns.
Your goal for this assignment is to draft a clear and concise memo of at least 1,000 words , addressed to the other doctors in your clinic, explaining the goals, objectives, and purposes of ACOs and why your clinic should consider forming one.
Assignment Specifics
Make sure that your memo includes the following elements:
A clear definition of ACOs, including their objectives, purposes, and why they are necessary. This section should also include the history behind ACOs.
Examples of other ACOs and how they have been successful. Make sure to use specific, concrete examples to analyze how specific ACOs have served their patients and community.
Any potential challenges or disadvantages posed. Make sure to anticipate, address, and rebut any challenges or issues your clinic may face in forming an ACO.
Wrap up your memo with a few concise statements about why this is the best step for your clinic to take.
Using Sources
Along with relevant Study.com course materials, your memo must include at least two credible, scholarly sources from outside the course. At least one of these sources must be from a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal. The sources must be cited using APA format and should include a mix of both primary and secondary sources.
As a reminder, primary sources are those that report on the original results of the experiment or study, while secondary sources include comments, discussions, or observations about primary sources. Make sure to assess any source you use for validity and reliability, whether they are primary or secondary. For example, Wikipedia is NOT an acceptable source (although the sources listed in the articles may be reliable).
Please see the following Study.com lessons if you need a refresher on APA format:
What is APA Format? Style & Definition
How To Format APA Citations
Grading Rubric
Category Unacceptable (0-1) Needs Improvement (2) Good (3) Excellent (4) Total Possible Points
Objectives, Purposes, & Historical Background Memo fails to adequately describe the history of ACOs, their objectives, and their purposes. Memo only adequately describes two out of the following: history, objectives, and purposes. Memo provides a brief history of ACOs, and adequately describes their objectives and purposes. Memo clearly explains the history behind ACOs, and accurately and completely describes their objectives and purposes. 4
Analysis Memo does not provide any specific, concrete examples of how ACOs have served their community. Memo provides one (1) specific, concrete example of how ACOs have served their community, OR multiple examples may lack concrete or specific details, facts, or statistics. Memo provides at least two (2) specific, concrete examples of how ACOs have served their community, and may include relevant statistics and figures. Memo provides at least three (3) specific, concrete examples of how ACOs have served their community, including relevant statistics and figures. 4
Research/Original Writing Memo does not include required number of credible, scholarly sources. Memo does not reflect research, and relevant data or supporting evidence is not included. Lacks original writing and thought. Memo includes required number of sources, but sources may lack credibility and/or may not be scholarly. Memo may reflect minimal research, and only little relevant data or supporting evidence is included. May lack original thought or writing. Memo contains minimum number of required sources. Sources are credible and scholarly. Minimum relevant data, examples, and supporting information has been included. Original thought and writing is present. Memo includes more than the minimum required number of sources. Sources are credible and scholarly. Memo contains extensive data, examples, and supporting information. Original thought and writing is clear throughout the memo. 4
Challenges Memo fails to anticipate any challenges or issues posed by formation of an ACO, AND does not attempt any rebuttal. Memo anticipates challenges or issues posed by formation of an ACO, BUT does not attempt to rebut those challenges. Memo anticipates challenges or issues posed by formation of an ACO, AND attempts to rebut those challenges. Memo clearly anticipates challenges or issues posed by formation of an ACO, AND successfully provides accurate rebuttals to all. 4
Mechanics Incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization and use of standard English grammar hinders understanding. Several instances of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage of standard English grammar. Few instances of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage of standard English grammar. None or extremely few instances of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage of standard English grammar. 4
Before You Submit
When you complete your assignment, we suggest taking some time to check for any errors or to add any finishing touches. We also suggest that you use online plagiarism checkers such as PlagScan or DupliChecker to make sure that your assignment is not too similar to any existing materials. Plagiarized submissions will NOT be graded.
How to Submit Your Assignment
When you are ready to submit your assignment, please fill out the submission form and attach your assignment as Microsoft Word, PDF, or text document. After turning in your assignment, you may go ahead and take the proctored final exam. You should receive your assignment grade within one week. You do not need to wait for your written response to be graded before working on other course materials.
If you are not satisfied with the score you receive on your assignment, you may revise or rewrite it, and resubmit it for grading using the same submission form above. Keep in mind that the grade you receive on your assignment is only a portion of your overall grade for the course, and you are free to retake the proctored final exam as well if you choose. Please see the course syllabus for a more detailed breakdown of the grading policy.
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