Advising on the Implementation of a Unique Accountable Care Organization

The Rose F. Kennedy Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (RFK CERC) is an Albert Einstein College of Medicine-operated service program that provides health resources for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). Amid a fragmented US healthcare system and rising healthcare spending, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is seeking to transform delivery and payments from a volume- to a value-based system. RFK CERC enlisted a Capstone team to conduct a case study of one specialty accountable care organization (ACO), the Alliance for Integrated Care of New York (AICNY), which is the first ACO in New York State that provides coordinated care for populations with IDDs. The team performed semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and independent research on the nationwide pilot program. The team’s final report represents the first study of an IDD-specialty ACO, providing a comprehensive analysis of AICNY’s performance and recommendations for an ACO implementation at the children’s center.