Hospital administrators and physicians reported that the biggest obstacle they face in forming accountable care organizations is physician alignment. Fifty-eight percent of 882 respondents to an AMN Healthcare survey indicated that their facilities are either in the process of forming ACOs or are considering doing so, while 42 percent said their facilities will not form ACOs in the forseeable future.
Of those who are moving toward ACOs, 42 percent said lack of physician alignment is the most serious obstacle to their efforts, followed by lack of capital (38 percent), lack of integrated information-technology systems (31 percent) and lack of evidence-based treatment protocol data (25 percent).
Of those who are not considering ACOs, 40 percent cited physician alignment as the main reason, followed by lack of capital (31 percent), lack of integrated IT systems (26 percent) and lack of evidence-based treatment protocol data (23 percent).
The survey further suggests that the majority of executives and physicians still hold out hope that ACOs will deliver significant cost and quality benefits over time: 59 percent either strongly or somewhat agreed that ACOs will deliver benefits and that they are a key to enhancing quality and reducing costs. However, 41 percent either strongly or somewhat disagreed with that statement.
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