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The past year saw multiple developments that could affect payment reform—a new administration was getting up to speed, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was debated and its implementation modified through legislative and regulatory changes, and questions were raised about the future of alternative payment models. Despite this, implementation of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) and its associated programs continued, private payers continued to highlight their commitment to value-based care, and many states took steps on payment reform in their Medicaid programs.
Leavitt Partners, in partnership with the Accountable Care Learning Collaborative, tracks the growth and spread of accountable care organizations (ACOs) and other alternative payment models. To gauge where the field is currently, we present the most recent figures on ACO and value-based payment (VBP) adoption, and assess the implications of these trends for the upcoming year. We find that, despite the past year’s uncertainty around federal policies and the future of value-based care, the health care system continues to adopt new payment and delivery models.