Iowa has 4 new medical networks

Four Iowa networks are among 89 new Accountable Care Organizations announced Monday to begin serving Medicare beneficiaries in 40 states.

In the Corridor, University of Iowa Affiliated Health Providers LC, located in Iowa City, and Iowa Health Accountable Care LC - located in Des Moines, but partnering with St. Luke's Hospital and Cardiologists PC in Cedar Rapids, among others - will work to coordinate care for Medicare patients.

Nationwide, these organizations, formed by groups of doctors and other health care providers and commonly called ACOs, will serve 1.2 million people, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which made the announcement.

The other two Iowa networks are Genesis Accountable Care Organization LLC of Davenport, whose member hospitals employ 312 physicians, and One Care LLC of Des Moines, a partnership between hospitals and professionals, with 402 physicians.

Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids and UI Health Care announced earlier this year that they were partnering in an ACO that which will include 1,791 doctors.

Iowa Health Accountable Care includes a combination of hospitals, a federally qualified health center and a rural health clinic, with 1,551 physicians. It will serve Medicare beneficiaries in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.

Monday's announcement said the four Iowa ACOs were selected to participate in the Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organization, a new program sponsored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

According to a news release, through the Shared Savings Program, the ACOs will work with Medicare to provide fee-for-service beneficiaries with high-quality service and care, while reducing the growth in Medicare expenditures through enhanced care coordination.

ACOs are among the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, with a goal of improving the safety and quality of patient care and making health care more affordable.

The organization are meant to focus on the needs of patients and link payments to outcomes, in order to improve patient health and to slow cost growth.