A Few Thoughts about ACO Antitrust Issues from a Local Enforcement Perspective.

Accountable care organizations (ACOs), joint ventures of commercial insurers and various groups of medical providers such as physicians, specialists, and hospitals whose development in California has been quickened by the Affordable Care Act, carry with them both promise and pitfalls. On the positive side of the ledger, ACOs may improve the quality of medical care even as they lower the costs of that care. On the negative side of the ledger, ACOs may lead to a gain in market power for their participations, allowing those participants to increase the prices they charge to commercial insurers. It is thus a key question for antitrust enforcers to figure out how to separate the sheep from the goats. This article, representing our personal views as state antitrust enforcers in the California attorney general's office, offers our reflection on a number of ACO articles and studies in this special issue through the prism of this key question and sets out a number of additional issues that we believe warrant study in conjunction with ACOs.

Anticipating the effect of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for patients with urologic cancer.

The Affordable Care Act seeks to overhaul the US health care system by providing insurance for more Americans, improving the quality of health care delivery, and reducing health care expenditures. Although the law's intent is clear, its implementation and effect on patient care remains largely undefined. Herein, we discuss major components of the Affordable Care Act, including the proposed insurance expansion, payment and delivery system reforms (e.g., bundled payments and Accountable Care Organizations), and other reforms relevant to the field of urologic oncology. We also discuss how these proposed reforms may affect patients with urologic cancers.

Opportunities for oncology in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) contains within it three significant legislative constructs: to enhance access to health care, improve quality, and decrease cost. Also known as the Triple Aim, these three simple, yet monumental, goals have been the object of actions to date as well as future implementation efforts. This article will identify sections of the legislation that would directly provide areas of opportunity to improve health and achieve the triple aim for the oncology profession.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: the impact on urologic cancer care.

In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as well as its amendments were signed into law. This sweeping legislation was aimed at controlling spiraling healthcare costs and redressing significant disparities in healthcare access and quality. Cancer diagnoses and their treatments constitute a large component of rising healthcare expenditures and, not surprisingly, the legislation will have a significant influence on cancer care in the USA. Because genitourinary malignancies represent an impressive 25% of all cancer diagnoses per year, this legislation could have a profound impact on urologic oncology. To this end, we will present key components of this landmark legislation, including the proposed expansion to Medicaid coverage, the projected role of Accountable Care Organizations, the expected creation of quality reporting systems, the formation of an independent Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and enhanced regulation on physician-owned practices. We will specifically address the anticipated effect of these changes on urologic cancer care. Briefly, the legal ramifications and current barriers to the statutes will be examined.

Carving out the pharmacist's role in the elusive ACO.

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) were established as part of the Affordable Care Act, the health care reform act signed by President Obama in 2010. An ACO, comprising a network of physicians and facilities that managed the health care needs of Medicare beneficiaries, is an innovative model for delivering health care services. While pharmacist involvement in ACOs is not federally mandated, their skills and experience suggest that they can play a viable role in these organizations. The medication-related activities that the ACO will need to provide are consistent with those currently being performed by consultant pharmacists in long-term care, so there could well be opportunities for these practitioners as ACOs are established and evolve.