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Officials at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on Jan. 29 the latest numbers for participation in accountable care organization (ACO) programs it sponsors, with a total of 480 ACOs now participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), the largest number to date. In addition, CMS officials announced on Monday that 245 organizations are continuing their participation in to CMS Innovation Center models—the ACO REACH (ACO Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health) model, and the Kidney Care Choices (KCC) model.
All of this was shared in a press release posted to CMS’s website on Monday. That press release began thus: “Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced increased participation in CMS’ accountable care organization (ACO) initiatives in 2024, which will increase the quality of care for more people with Medicare. Of note, CMS is announcing that 19 newly formed accountable care organizations (ACOs) in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (Shared Savings Program) are participating in a new, permanent payment option beginning in 2024 that is enabling these ACOs to receive more than $20 million in advance investment payments (AIPs) for caring for underserved populations. An additional 50 ACOs are new to the program in 2024, and 71 ACOs renewed their participation, bringing the total to 480 ACOs now participating in the Shared Savings Program, the largest ACO program in the country. CMS also announced that 245 organizations are continuing their participation in two CMS Innovation Center models — ACO Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (ACO REACH) and the Kidney Care Choices (KCC) models.” That figure of 480 ACOs in the MSSP is up from 456 participating as of a year ago, in January 2023, representing a 5.13-percentage increase in participation over one year ago.