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The news coming out of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this week was all good. What might that mean in the context of an uncertain and complex political landscape around healthcare generally and around value-based contracting more specifically?
Well, to begin with, the news coming out of the federal government on Oct. 29 was excellent; on Tuesday, senior officials at CMS were able to announce record net savings for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) on Oct. 29—a total of more than $2.1 billion in 2023, along with $3.1 billion in performance payments for accountable care organizations (ACOs) participating in the program.
The agency posted a press release to its website on Tuesday afternoon that began thus: “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today that the Medicare Shared Savings Program (Shared Savings Program) continues to save Medicare money while supporting high-quality care. The Shared Savings Program yielded more than $2.1 billion in net savings in 2023 — the largest savings in the Shared Savings Program’s history. In addition, Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are providing higher-quality care and supporting policies CMS has adopted to enhance primary care, expand access to accountable care to underserved communities, and prioritize quality care for common chronic conditions.”