Despite questions that have been hotly debated in the past year about accountable care organizations’ (ACOs) future, the US healthcare industry’s transformation appears to be continuing unabated.

Over the past year, the nation’s ACO roster grew by 88 — an increase of nearly 10%. They cover approximately 1 in 10 American patients, according to Muhlestein, et al., writing in Health Affairs.

That growth was mostly driven by Medicare ACOs; commercial ACO growth stayed flat.

ACOs are now viewed more favorably by top industry stakeholders and many private payers have likewise reaffirmed — albeit cautiously — their commitments to them and to other alternative payment models (APMs).

“Many health plans said that they were gradually and thoughtfully expanding their population health accountability programs given the federal uncertainty,” the authors reported.

“At the same time, Medicare ACO contracting opportunities remained available, providing a pathway for MACRA reporting and (in “advanced” ACO contracts, such as the Next Generation ACOs) additional physician payment,” they observed.

Get their full analysis here, in Health Affairs.