[[{“type”:“media”,“view_mode”:“media_large”,“fid”:null,“attributes”:{“class”:“media-image alignright size-full wp-image-1606”,“typeof”:“foaf:Image”,“style”:“”,“width”:“100”,“height”:“100”,“title”:“”,“alt”:“New York Times”}}]]A Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (TDI) study found that a new model for delivering medical care may slow the cost of treating the sickest, most expensive patients, The New York Times reports.

The study, published September 12 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that “accountable care organizations” saw savings in caring for patients with severe health problems who were eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. (Accountable care organizations are hospitals, doctors groups, and other health care providers working together to improve the health of defined groups of patients, the Times notes.)

“The fact that they saved any money at all is a pretty significant finding,” said Carrie H. Colla ’01, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor at TDI, the Times reports. “It shows promise in that they did significantly improve quality while modestly improving spending.”

Read the full story published 9/12/12 in The New York Times.