An accountable care organization (ACO) primarily aims to achieve what outcome?

An accountable care organization (ACO) is primarily designed to focus on reducing healthcare costs while also improving the quality of care provided to patients. The central idea behind an ACO is to coordinate care among various providers to enhance patient outcomes and streamline services. By fostering collaboration among healthcare providers, ACOs aim to eliminate redundancies, reduce waste, and promote more efficient care practices.

This model encourages providers to take responsibility for the overall health of their patient populations, incentivizing them to focus on preventive care and better management of chronic conditions, which ultimately leads to cost savings and improved health outcomes. By prioritizing both cost reduction and quality enhancement, ACOs seek to fulfill their dual mission of maintaining high standards of patient care while managing healthcare resources effectively.

While the other options may address various aspects of the healthcare system, they do not embody the main goal of ACOs as effectively as the aim to reduce costs while improving quality of care. For instance, simply increasing the number of covered individuals or expanding insurance options doesn’t inherently guarantee improvements in care quality or cost management, which are fundamental to the ACO concept.