Accountable Care Organization (ACO)

A health care delivery model that ties provider reimbursements to quality metrics and reductions in the total costs of care for the patient population.

Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH)

A model for providing primary care that facilitates partnerships between individual patients, their personal physicians and, when appropriate, the patient’s family.

Pay-for-Performance (P4P)

A model in which providers are rewarded for meeting pre-established targets for delivery of services.

Risk-Sharing Models

A model in which two or more parties (providers, payers, manufacturers, etc.) enter into agreements designed to manage care and lower costs.

Meaningful Use

A series of health care objectives and regulations that providers must meet in order to qualify for reimbursements under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA, commonly known as the federal stimulus package).

Physician Quality and Reporting Initiative (PQRI)

Established in 2007 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, PQRI gives incentive payments for eligible health care professionals who report data on quality measures pertaining to their Medicare patients.

Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE)

A system of electronic entry for patient treatment instructions communicated to the various departments (such as pharmacy, laboratory, or radiology) responsible for filling the order.