To Sustain The Value Movement, Make Next Generation ACOs A Permanent Option

April 9, 2021Garrett SchmittNo CommentsCMS Innovation Center, COVID-19, full risk, Medicare, MSSP ENHANCED, Next Generation ACOs, Pathways to Success, Performance, value based

The goal of the value movement is to incentivize providers to move away from the traditional fee-for-service model and provide coordinated care for patients with an eye toward improving quality and reducing cost. One key mechanism to achieve this goal is accountable care organization (ACO) models that—because they are offered along a continuum of varying…

Achieving Success in Medicare’s Highest-Risk ACO Program: One ACO’s Story

February 18, 2021Garrett SchmittNo CommentsClif Gaus, NAACOS, pathways, Pathways to Success

The federal accountable care organization (ACO) landscape continues to twist and turn, with one of the most recent developments being the drop of participants in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), down from a membership high of 561 in 2018 to 477 at the start of 2021. Leaders at the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) assert that…

ACOs, Population-Based APMs Most Effective at Lowering Costs

November 18, 2020Garrett SchmittNo CommentsNAACOS, pathways, Pathways to Success

If CMS aims to lower healthcare costs and improve quality, then the agency should use more population-based alternative payment models, like accountable care organizations (ACOs), according to a new analysis. The analysis of the evaluations for more than a dozen CMS value-based initiatives over the past eight years showed that no other alternative payment model came…

Understanding The Latest ACO “Savings”: Curb Your Enthusiasm And Sharpen Your Pencils—Part 1

November 12, 2020Garrett SchmittNo CommentsMACRA, pathways, Pathways to Success

In a recent post, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reported that the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) generated $2.6 billion in gross savings in 2019 and $1.2 billion in net savings after accounting for shared-savings payments to participating accountable care organizations (ACOs). Achieving this level of savings would constitute remarkable…

How ACOs In Rural And Underserved Areas Responded To Medicare’s ACO Investment Model

November 10, 2020Garrett SchmittNo CommentsMIPS, pathways, Pathways to Success

Implementation of accountable care organizations (ACOs) has been occurring unevenly across the nation, with rural areas lagging behind their more urban counterparts in ACO establishment (for example, see here, here, and here). To help establish ACOs in more areas of the country, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) developed the ACO Investment Model (AIM) to provide participating ACOs…

How Top Accountable Care Organizations Save Year After Year

September 25, 2020Garrett SchmittNo Commentspathways, Pathways to Success

Accountable care organizations had a record year, according to the latest performance data for the Medicare Shared Savings Program. CMS recently announced that organizations participating in the program – which are otherwise known as ACOs – saved Medicare nearly $1.2 billion in 2019 while maintaining a high level of care quality as measured by longstanding program metrics….

CMS needs to provide more support to small, physician-led ACOs or risk drop-outs: report

February 13, 2020Garrett SchmittNo CommentsPathways to Success, Stark Law

Small physician-led Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) have shown success in reducing costs while improving quality. But they need more support to continue down that road, according to a new report. Those ACOs would benefit from more guidance and support from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), private insurers and other sources as they…

Risky Business: ACO checklist for 2020 includes embracing new payment models and physician re-engagement

January 3, 2020Garrett SchmittNo CommentsMA, medical advantage, pathways, Pathways to Success

The term accountable care organization (ACO) dates back to at least 2006. The Affordable Care Act then made ACOs a fast-growing trend thanks to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launching its Shared Savings Program in 2012. Since then, ACOs have been at the forefront of the value-based care model transition, taking incremental steps…

Interest In ‘Pathways To Success’ Grows: 2018 ACO Results Show Trends Supporting Program Redesign Continue

September 30, 2019Garrett SchmittNo Commentspathways, Pathways to Success, Seema Verma

With Medicare’s main trust fund projected to run out in just seven years, the Trump Administration is working hard to lower health care costs and increase quality to protect the Medicare program for all Americans who depend on it. The Medicare Shared Savings Program (Shared Savings Program), established by Congress, promotes accountability for a patient…

CMS Announces Application Cycle for MSSP Pathways to Success

April 12, 2019Garrett SchmittNo CommentsPathways to Success

Starting June 11, providers can submit notices of intent to apply to participate in the overhaul of the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), dubbed Pathways to Success, CMS recently announced on its website. Through its website, the federal agency also announced the application cycle dates for the January 1, 2020, start date of the next iteration…

Posts navigation

1 2 >

Recent Posts

  • Three Lies And A Truth About ACO Data For APP Reporting
  • CMS Execs Describe ‘Universal Foundation’ to Align Quality Measures
  • RECORDED WEBINAR: Closing the Gaps: The REACH Model, Population Health, and the Diabetic Eye Exam
  • Building Relationships to Improve Access to Healthcare, Improve Health Equity
  • Considering Disability in Social Determinants of Health Referrals
 
  • Main Lobby
  • Exhibit Hall
  • Events
  • Exhibit With Us
  • Board Room
  • Library
  • Contact Us