A study on “The Role of Pharmacy Services in Accountable Care Organizations” concludes:
“The ability of the accountable care model to hold organizations accountable for pharmacy spending and medication management, particularly for patients with multiple chronic illnesses, is likely to be a key factor associated with achieving the triple aim of improving the experience of care, improving the health of populations, and reducing costs.30 The present findings provide important baseline information for assessing the innovative approaches to medication management and their progress over time. Further analysis, linking health outcomes measurement to ACO characteristics and capabilities, is needed to assess the performance of ACOs taking varied approaches to prescription drug management. Given the broad implications of prescription drug management on quality and cost, ACOs may choose to improve prescription drug management through additional strategies such as including clinical pharmacists on care teams, assigning ‘medication coaches’ to high medication utilizers, and using various in-home monitoring devices to track adherence”
