Accountable Care Communities

Abstract

Research has shown that individuals' health outcomes often have more to do with the conditions in which they live, learn, work, and age than the medical care they receive. However, traditional health care is not designed to address the social, behavioral, and economic factors (eg, housing, transportation, access to healthy food, education, and health behaviors) that impact health outcomes. Accountable care communities are showing that it is possible to design systems that are successful at both addressing social and economic factors and improving population health.