A radiologist's primer on accountable care organizations.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that was signed into law in March 2010 included specific language codifying a new health care entity, the accountable care organization. The accountable care organization model is put forward as a way to increase value in health care, that is, improving outcomes as efficiently as possible. It is not known whether this concept can be applied successfully beyond the carefully selected examples where it already functions. Three general principles figure prominently in known successful models: the provision of efficient primary care, shared savings, and IT infrastructure. The authors discuss these concepts, ongoing uncertainties, and how radiologists may fit into an accountable care organization.