Updated June 09, 2015.

Like most government legislation, The Affordable Care Act has many complex layers to it. There are however pieces of The Act that apply directly to the theme of this website:
How can we improve healthcare quality?
I find the following elements essential when defining "Healthcare Quality":

1. A coordinated team dedicated to continuous process improvement to find new ways to improve patient care while also making that care more affordable

1. Improving patient care
2. Eliminating waste in the delivery of care
   • financial waste
   • time (waiting) waste
   • overproduction waste, such as ordering tests 'just in case'
   • inventory waste
   • transportation waste, such as movement of patient or material
   • medical mistakes
   • excessive/inefficient staff movement
   • unnecessary processes

Accountable Care Organizations: A Coordinated Team

The Affordable Care Act, therefore, provides hope that we can realize better care, at a more affordable expense, if an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) consists of coordinated cross-functional professionals dedicated to healthcare quality improvement.
ACOs are an incentivized team consisting of local physician offices, hospitals, and other care providers such as long-term care facilities that are unified in their approach to patient-centered care. By working together locally in this cross-functional and inter-organizational approach, a patient on Original Medicare should have a team-informed treatment plan to manage their often multiple chronic conditions.

The high prevalence of co-morbidities is one of the leading contributors to costly re-admissions and episodic care. And the higher the re-admission rate, the higher the chance that a patient is exposed to medical mistakes. A successful ACO, therefore, can improve patient health and safety, reduce morbidity and mortality, while removing cost from the healthcare system.

Medical Supply Solutions to Help ACOs Accomplish Their Mission

For those of you working in an ACO model, I applaud your efforts and wish you the best of luck as you pursue your mission. My goal as the Guide of the About.com Medical Supplies site is to create a consolidation point; a resource, for healthcare providers, healthcare planners, and healthcare vendors, to find ideas that you can use to make healthcare more affordable in your organization, for your patients.

Medical Supply Solutions and Strategies

• 5 Low-Cost Strategies to Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
• Medical Supplies for the Prevention, Detection, and Treatment of Heart Disease
• Inexpensive Bariatric Planning Considerations that Prevent Costly Complications
• 23 Low-Cost Ways to Care for the Growing Bariatric Population
• 9 Skin Care Products for Pressure Ulcer Prevention
• Efficiency, Ergonomics, and Aesthetics: Designing Lean into the Point-of-Care
• 8 Pre-Packaged Kits for Minor Procedures: Value, efficiency, and infection prevention considerations of pre-packaged kits.
• 4 Strategies to Reduce Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)
• How a Case Cart System Improves Efficiency, Cuts Costs, and Improves Care
• Managing Medical Equipment & Supplies Using RFID Technology
• 3 Manufacturers Arm Clinicians as they Battle Ventilator Associated Pneumonia
• 6 Steps to Prevent Pressure Ulcers, and the Medical Supplies to Help
• Enterprise Asset Managers and their impact on your balance sheet
• 3 Common Self-Care Medical Supplies

The Accountable Care Organization model was developed to make local healthcare organizations, such as physician practices, hospitals, and long-term care facilities, jointly accountable for the health of their patients. Strong incentives are now in place to cooperate with each other in the dual goals of improving patient-centered care and making that care more affordable. The right mix of innovative medical supplies can help ACOs earn their incentives.

Source: Accountable Care Organizations: Improving Care Coordination for People with Medicare. U.S. Department of Health & Human Sevices website.