Accountable Care Organizations are defined as groups focused on which goals?

• A. Quick revenue generation
• B. Administrative tasks only
• C. Groups focused on quality, cost reduction, and coordinated care
• D. Expanding inpatient beds

Answer: (C)

Accountable Care Organizations are designed to deliver better care at lower cost by coordinating services across primary, specialty, hospital, and post-acute providers and holding those providers accountable for outcomes. The defining goals are quality, cost reduction, and coordinated care. By focusing on measurable quality metrics and reducing unnecessary utilization, ACOs encourage providers to work together, improve care transitions, and share any savings with the payers when targets are met. The other choices miss the core idea: ACOs aren’t about quick revenue, they’re about value and coordination; they’re more than administrative tasks, and they don’t aim to expand inpatient beds as a primary objective.