5 Ways ACOs Can Improve Care, Achieve Meaningful Savings

Garrett Schmitt

Sound Long-Term Care Management (SLTCM), an accountable care organization (ACO) participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, reported $113.985 million in total savings for performance year 2024, according to newly released results. The ACO, which focuses on long-term care and assisted-living populations, is among the facility-based groups showing substantial year-over-year savings as CMS continues to push for broader participation…

The VBC Paradox: How Health Systems Can Balance Inpatient Revenue With Value-Based Care Goals

Garrett Schmitt

When the conversation shifts toward value-based care (VBC), hospital systems find themselves in a delicate balancing act. On one hand, VBC strategies compel providers to prioritize preventive, coordinated, and holistic care to improve outcomes and reduce avoidable acute care utilization. On the other, hospital systems are largely embedded in a fee-for-service (FFS) environment, where inpatient…

RECORDED WEBINAR: Finalized Policies in the CY 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule

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 Download Slides Final Rule was released on October 31st! Are you dreading hundreds of pages of regulatory statute only to find that a few small sections of what was finalized actually relate to your ACO and/or practice? Let Patient360 clear the noise for you during this informative webinar session during which we will cover…

Medicare ACOs In 2024: Increased Participation And Evolving Policy Impacts

Garrett Schmitt

In late August 2025, CMS released Performance Year (PY) 2024 data for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). MSSP incentivizes participants to provide coordinated, high-quality care while lowering costs by sharing a portion of savings achieved for Medicare with participants. This marked the twelfth year of the program and the eighth consecutive year MSSP has achieved savings…

RECORDED WEBINAR: Emergency department transitions: A path to improved patient, provider, and payer outcomes

Garrett SchmittNo Comments,

 Download Slides Emergency departments (Eds) across the United States are currently grappling with significant challenges. Widespread issues in emergency care—such as overcrowding, patient boarding, and mounting financial pressures—have created a cycle of strain that leads to far-reaching consequences for hospitals, patients, and health plans. As a result, EDs are overcrowded, patients face delays in…

Beyond Rising Cut Points: How to Build a 2026 STARs Adherence Strategy Now

Garrett Schmitt, , ,

You cannot control CMS raising cut points. But you can control how you respond. The 2026 requirements are clear. CMS is implementing risk-adjusted measures focused on Social Determinants of Health. The new Excellent Health Outcomes for All reward ties STAR ratings exclusively to performance among your hardest-to-engage members—Dual-Eligible, Low-Income Subsidy, and disabled populations. These changes…

Physician-level measurement needed for VBC to succeed

Garrett Schmitt

Hospitals and health systems must take an abundance of measurements to succeed in value-based care. Jeanne Cohen believes healthcare leaders are overlooking the key to value-based care success: physician-level measurement. “Because physician decisions control quality and cost, visibility into that decision making is essential to VBC success,” she said. Cohen is founder and CEO of…

After Fifteen Years, is Value-Based Care Succeeding?

Garrett Schmitt

With the Trump administration resetting U.S. health policy priorities and the value-based payment model ending its 15th year, the University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI) hosted a debate between two leading experts over a central question: Has value-based care earned its keep, or is it time to rethink the model? Part of…