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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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….
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…
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…
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…
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…