CCHIT releases ACO health IT “roadmap”

To assist providers transitioning into accountable care organizations (ACOs), the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) released a 42-page framework to help them navigate health IT challenges.

CCHIT’s “ACO HIT Framework” provides a roadmap “that will mitigate some of the risks associated with taking on accountability for costs, quality of care and patient loyalty,” according to CCHIT. The document also aims to assist payers looking to assess the health IT capability of their provider partners and health IT developers designing products to better meet the health IT needs of entities moving toward an ACO model.

“Without guidance, many organizations may struggle to identify and prioritize their HIT needs,” according to CCHIT's online description of the document.

Currently, the framework includes descriptions of the key processes and functions of a successful ACO and delves into the following topics: care coordination, cohort management, patient and caregiver relationship management, clinical engagement, financial management, reporting and knowledge management. The report also references additional resources on the topic.

The ACO health IT framework will evolve as the needs of the accountable care delivery system change, according to the report. “With the input of a broad group of multi-disciplinary stakeholders, we present this first consensus-developed, publicly available ACO HIT Framework as a basis for discussion and planning for the HIT infrastructure necessary to support that effort.”