Medicare ACOs | Value-based care news, articles, webinars and materials

Medicare ACO Savings Increased to $4.1B in 2020

August 26, 2021Garrett SchmittNo CommentsACOs, Medicare, Medicare ACOs, savings

Medicare ACO savings hit a record high, with accountable care organizations collectively saving Medicare $4.1 billion in 2020, according to a new report. The total savings, along with the $1.9 billion in net savings after accounting for shared savings payments, made 2020 the best year yet for the Medicare Shared Savings Program, report author National Association…

Cost Savings Aren’t The Only Objective For ACOs: Growth Matters, Too

August 24, 2021Garrett SchmittNo Commentsaccountable care, ACO, ACO Growth, ACOs, CAHPS, cost savings, episodic bundles, Medicare, Medicare ACOs, MSSP, new patients, Patient Loyalty, Patient Population, Patient Retention, Patient Satisfaction, voluntary commitment

Keeping within expenditure limits is a top priority for most ACOs for Medicare. That makes sense. Savings are the main distinguishing feature of an ACO arrangement, as opposed to straight Fee-for-Service reimbursement. ACOs that accept downside risk can’t afford to exceed the expenditure target. It’s in their best interest to create initiatives to cut costs…

Medicare ACOs Facing Multiple Changes and Challenges

July 6, 2021Garrett SchmittNo CommentsACOs, Alternative Payment Model Performance Pathway, APMs, CMS, data collection, EHRs, Medicare, Medicare ACOs, Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, MedPAC, MSSP, Nextgen, rural glitch

Doctors in accountable care organizations (ACOs), and those thinking of starting or joining one, have had their hands full keeping up with changes in the way Medicare is administering them. ACOs are groups of doctors, hospitals, and/or other healthcare providers that work together with a goal of providing better care at lower cost. As part…

Softer Alignment of Medicare ACOs May Still Lead to Higher Prices for Office Visits

June 7, 2021Garrett SchmittNo CommentsACOs, Medicare ACOs, MSSP

A softer form of health care consolidation, where independent primary care practices align in certain Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) to negotiate with payers, may lead to higher prices, but not to an overwhelming extent, according to a new study published Monday in Health Affairs. Researchers focused their work on independent practices joining ACOs led by…

New ACO Playbook: Three Touchstones For ACO Viability

May 13, 2021Garrett SchmittNo CommentsACOs, alternative payment models, community, coordination of care, Data, Fee for service, growth orientation, Hospital led ACOs, Medicare ACOs, MSSPs, physician-led ACOs, Primary Care First, Risk, technology, vbc

Some believe that an ACO’s leadership structure predicts its success. They point to differing savings results for physician-led versus hospital-led ACO shared savings models (MSSPs) to make their case. In particular, they make the argument that future Value-Based Care (VBC) policies should benefit the growth of successful physician-led ACOs, protecting them from policies that force…

New Rules for Some Medicare ACOs Are No Good, Say Healthcare Groups

May 12, 2021Garrett SchmittNo CommentsAlternative Payment Model Performance Pathway, alternative payment models, APP measures, CMS, Medicare ACOs, MSSPs

Groups representing doctors, hospitals, and accountable care organizations (ACOs) are pushing back on changes to quality reporting rules for Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) ACOs that were finalized under the Trump administration. “We have significant concerns about the MSSP quality policies finalized at the very end of 2020,” a group of 11 healthcare organizations, including…

The 53 participants in CMS’ direct contracting model

May 4, 2021Garrett SchmittNo CommentsACOs, CMS, CMS Innovation Center, direct contracting, Medicare ACOs

CMS recently named the 53 organizations that are participating in the 2021 performance year for the Global and Professional Direct Contracting Model. The model’s 2021 performance year starts April 1. The goals of the model include allowing more types of organizations to participate in risk-sharing arrangements and build off of Medicare ACO efforts like the…

Medicare Accountable Care Organizations Generate Savings as Experience Grows

September 18, 2018Garrett SchmittNo CommentsMedicare ACOs, MSSP, MSSPs

New analysis from Avalere finds that accountable care organizations (ACOs) in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) achieve higher savings for Medicare the longer they are in the program. ACOs in the MSSP for 4 or more years were responsible for nearly all of the program’s previously reported $314 million in savings in 2017, the…

Medicare ACOs saved CMS $314 million in 2017

August 30, 2018Garrett SchmittNo CommentsMedicare ACOs, Medicare Shared Savings Program, MSSP, MSSPs

The CMS made a profit from the Medicare Shared Savings Program last year as more accountable care organizations moved to risk-based contracts and gained experience, new federal data show. About 60% of the 472 Medicare ACOs generated a total of $1.1 billion in savings in 2017, according to the CMS data set released Thursday. The…