What Motivates ACOs to Make Home Visits?

Seven Points Driving Decisions

Accountable Care Organizations, which take on risk for patient populations, are more likely than other healthcare organizations to use home visits to support complex patients, including during care transitions and times when a patient is out of contact.

Under ACO contracts, providers are responsible for the quality and total cost of care of a patient population. There is a higher use of home visits among ACOs suggesting that alternative payment models are driving changes in care delivery approaches.

ACOs reported that home visits help them gain a greater understanding of a patient’s home life, including any safety issues and barriers to health, while providing an opportunity to build relationships with patients and engage them in managing their health to reduce hospital and other care use. Challenges to the widescale adoption of home visits include their cost and the current lack of evidence-based best practices.