# Value-Based Care and Accountable Care Organizations: Implications for Early Autism Diagnosis and Access to Quality Care

## TL;DR

This paper explores how value-based care models could impact early autism diagnosis and access to quality care by shifting healthcare incentives.

## Contribution

The paper provides a critical analysis of value-based care implications for autism services, identifying research and policy priorities.

## Key findings

- Value-based care may improve care coordination for autism services.
- Unintended consequences of payment system shifts need further investigation.
- Policy development should focus on equitable access to autism care.

## Abstract

The incentives in fee-for-service healthcare payment systems to increase clinical volume often work in opposition to efforts to coordinate care or improve care delivery in partnership with community-based services. There has been increasing interest in and adoption of value-based care as an alternative healthcare delivery model in which clinician reimbursement is based on measures of healthcare quality and patient outcomes, meant to shift the focus from generating volume toward providing more efficient, coordinated care. In this commentary, we discuss potential benefits, challenges, and unintended consequences of this fundamental shift in payment systems and the specific implications for autism services, highlighting critical areas of focus for future research and policy development.