ACO criticism continues; Health exchanges 'a new goldmine'

News outlets report on various developments related to implementation of the health law.  

Modern Healthcare: Employers Want In On ACO Discussions
As health care providers consider structuring accountable care organizations, the nation's employer community wants to be sure they have a place in those discussions. That was the message David Lansky, president and CEO of San Francisco-based Pacific Group on Health, gave to providers and other stakeholders Monday in Washington at the second annual ACO Summit co-sponsored by the Engelberg Center for Health Reform at the Brookings Institution and the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (Zigmond, 6/27).

CQ HealthBeat: McClellan Unfazed By Storm of Criticism Of ACO Proposal
Mark McClellan, the former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator who is leading a concerted effort to spawn the growth of accountable care organizations, said Monday that he expects Medicare officials to ink the first Medicare ACO contracts next spring. McClellan said the intense criticism of the ACO regulation proposed by CMS last March only shows how serious doctors, hospitals, and other providers are about creating the new organizations. The health overhaul law envisions these groups as bringing more efficient, team-based care to the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program (Reichard, 6/27).

Politico: Health Exchanges: A New Gold Mine
More than $300 million in exchange grants has already flowed into the states since the Affordable Care Act passed. That number will grow exponentially in the coming months, as states move from the initial steps of passing exchange legislation to the more lucrative task of setting them up (Kliff, 6/27).

See previous KHN story on consultants' new role in the health law, ACOs Spell Gold Rush For Health Care Consultants (Vaida, 4/2).