Myth Buster: Antitrust waivers protect anyone participating in an Accountable Care Organization

MYTH: Antitrust waivers protect anyone participating in an Accountable care Organization.
FACT: Only ACOs that fall within the federal government's "safety zone" are eligible for the protection of an antitrust waiver.

An Accountable Care Organization (ACO) is a delivery-system reform born out of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that encourages hospitals and other Medicare providers to form integrated health care delivery systems to care and become accountable for a specific fee-for-service Medicare population.  An ACO may share in some portion of the savings it creates for the Medicare program. Yet antitrust law prohibits some of the very collaborations among otherwise competing providers that ACOs encourage. To learn about ACOs eligible for protection of an antitrust waiver, read our Myth Buster below.