Leveraging Accountable Care Organization infrastructure for rapid pandemic response in independent primary care practices.

Background: Population risk segmentation and technology-enabled preventive care workflows are core competencies for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) that may also have relevance for public health emergencies.

Methods: During the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, we aimed to leverage existing ACO capabilities to support 467 primary care practices across 27 states with pandemic response. We used Medicare claims and electronic health records to identify patients with increased COVID-19 vulnerability, for proactive outreach and guidance for "Staying Well at Home.