Coordinating Care to Benefit Patients UCLA Health was selected to participate in the federal government’s What is an ACO? Medicare Shared Savings Program as an accountable care ACOs are collections of groups of doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers who come together voluntarily to give coordinated, high-quality care to their patients. The idea is to improve the quality of patient care and the overall patient experience while reducing costs through both enhanced care coordination and ensuring that we are providing evidence- based care — not too much, not too little. When an ACO succeeds in both delivering high-quality care and spending healthcare dollars more wisely, there may organization (ACO) — created under the Affordable Care Act to help healthcare providers improve patient care and reduce costs. The ACO concept, advanced by the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is now being used in other sectors, and UCLA is also participating in the Anthem Blue Cross PPO Enhanced Care Coordination ACO. Samuel A. Skootsky, MD, chief medical officer of the UCLA Faculty Practice and Medical Group, discusses what this means for UCLA Health and its patients. UCLAHEALTH.ORG 1-800-UCLA-MD1 (1-800-825-2631)