By not taking advantage of these kinds of organizations, doctors and hospitals that do not wish to participate are missing out on cost savings, ease of patient treatment, efficiency, and much more. For patients, looking for doctors and hospitals that participate in accountable care organizations can be a good move, both financially and for ease of treatment. When records are shared and hospitals and doctors agree to be accountable to one another, there is less margin for error. That does not mean that problems cannot develop, but they are much less likely to happen and they will be smaller problems when they occur, overall. Health care workers should be accountable to patients and to other health care workers. The team effort that was used to collect and provide this information is very important, because it is similar to the team effort that is used in accountable care organizations....

In other words, by working together and making people accountable to one another for what they do and the results they produce, much more can be accomplished. Accountability is one of those things that should always be there when doctors and hospitals are treating patients, but yet it is not something that is taken as seriously as some would like. With accountable care organizations, treating patients becomes a team effort - and it also becomes apparent if there is a weak link or if there is someone on the team who is not a "team player." Doctors and hospitals are also more likely to take accountability seriously when they are required to be accountable to other doctors and hospitals, instead of just to patients. Because they are working closely with their peers to treat patients, they want to work harder and do better in order to ensure that they are valuable members of the organization.