Back to Building and Running an ACO
Module 1
Foundations
What an ACO is as an operating organization, the honest business case, and how to choose a program and risk track in a shifting landscape.
3 lessons About 15 min
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Describe the organization an ACO must build beyond signing the payment contract
- Set realistic expectations for an ACO's investment and its return timeline
- Compare ACO programs and risk tracks against an organization's readiness and capital
- What an ACO Is, Operationally The intro course defined the ACO as a payment idea. This course treats it as an organization you have to build and run. Here is the difference. About 5 min
- The ACO Business Case Forming an ACO is an investment before it is a return. This lesson covers the honest economics: what you spend, what you might earn, and how long it takes. About 5 min
- Choosing a Program and Track MSSP or an Innovation Center model, and how much risk? This lesson maps the options and the current landscape, which is shifting in 2027. About 5 min
Module quiz
Answer all questions to see your score.
1. Operationally, an ACO is best understood as:
Beyond the payment idea, an ACO is a standing organization that has to be built, staffed, and run.
2. What is a realistic expectation for a new ACO's first year or two?
Savings are modest early and grow with experience, downside risk, and physician leadership; the ACO is a multi-year build.
3. As of 2026, what is happening to the ACO REACH model?
ACO REACH ends after 2026, replaced by the Long-term Enhanced ACO Design (LEAD) Model in 2027; the permanent MSSP continues alongside it.