Payment and Delivery System Reform in Medicare: A Primer on Medical Homes, Accountable Care Organizations, and Bundled Payments

This Kaiser Family Foundation report provides a detailed overview of three approaches to health care reform under Medicare. These include medical homes (multidisciplinary team-delivered and patient-centered primary care), accountable care organizations (quality-based models in which healthcare providers and partners, including health systems and payers, work together to provide patient-centered care) and bundled payment models (payments for episodes of care). The authors define each of the approaches; outline their potential benefits to patients as well as the health care system; identify challenges; share results where available; and summarize expected future developments.