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Accountable care organizations (ACOs) assuming the highest levels of financial risk in Medicare saved $164 million during their second performance year, CMS recently reported.
Medicare ACOs bring together groups of physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare providers and suppliers to voluntarily deliver higher-quality care at lower costs to Medicare fee-for-service patients. The Next Generation program is unique because it builds on previous and existing ACO programs by offering higher levels of financial risk and reward for participating organizations.
Starting in 2016, Next Generation ACOs chose either shared savings and losses of up to 80 percent in years 1 through 3, then up to 85 percent in years 4 and 5, or shared savings and losses up to 100 percent.