Medicare Shared Savings Program

Collective Reform Program Participation Did Not Improve Health Outcomes

by Victoria Bailey

Collective participation in delivery system and payment reform programs, including accountable care organizations (ACOs), was not generally associated with improved health services outcomes in primary...

More Beneficiaries, But Fewer ACOs for Medicare Shared Savings Program

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) in the Medicare Shared Savings Program will care for more beneficiaries in 2022, making it the largest alternative payment model in Medicare despite lackluster ACO...

Allow ACOs to Use Pre-Pandemic Years for 2022 Benchmarks, Groups Urge

by Victoria Bailey

A group of healthcare organizations, led by the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS), has asked CMS to provide accountable care organizations (ACOs) with the option to use pre-pandemic years to set...

What It Takes for Medicare ACOs to Earn Shared Savings

by Jacqueline LaPointe

The majority of accountable care organizations (ACOs) participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program earned shared savings last year despite dealing with a global pandemic that altered healthcare...

Lack of Healthcare Interoperability Hinders Electronic ACO Reporting

by Jacqueline LaPointe

CMS is looking to modernize the ACO reporting process by mandating the use of electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs). However, accountable care organizations (ACOs) are concerned that the lack of...

10 ACOs with the Highest Shared Savings Payments in 2020

by Hayden Schmidt

The Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) saved over $4 billion in 2020. Between the $1.9 billion in Medicare savings and $2.3 billion in accountable care organization (ACO) savings, this represents...

Medicare ACO Savings Increased to $4.1B in 2020

by Jacqueline LaPointe

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...

AMGA to CMS: Rethink ACO Financial Risk Advancement in MSSP

by Victoria Bailey

The American Medical Group Association (AMGA) recommended several steps regarding accountable care organization (ACO) financial risk advancement in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) in a...

“Soft” Consolidation in Medicare ACOs Can Lead to Higher Prices

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Some independent primary care practices joining health system-led Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) raised their prices after what researchers called “soft consolidation,”...

Spike in Radiologist Accountable Care Organization Participation

by Jill McKeon

Radiologist involvement in Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) accountable care organizations (ACOs) has increased significantly in recent years, showing promise for increased specialist...

Medical Groups Ask for More Time Before ACO Quality Reporting Changes

by Jacqueline LaPointe

According to nearly a dozen leading medical groups, changes to accountable care organization (ACO) quality reporting are rushed, unclear, and potentially harmful to patient care. In a letter to HHS...

ACO Participation Hits New Low as Biden Administration Takes Over

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Accountable care organization (ACO) participation in the Medicare Shared Savings Program has hit a new low in 2021, according to new data from CMS. The data dropped by CMS this week showed that 477...

Top 10 Accountable Care Organizations by Shared Savings in 2019

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) in the Medicare Shared Savings Program collectively saved $2.6 billion in 2019, netting Medicare $1.19 billion, according to the latest program performance...

How Top Accountable Care Organizations Save Year After Year

by Jacqueline LaPointe

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...

Medicare Shared Savings Program Saved a Record $1.19B in 2019

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) generated $1.19 billion in total net savings to Medicare in 2019, representing the third consecutive year for net program savings and the largest annual savings...

CMS Unveils New Value-Based Care, ACO Options for Rural Providers

by Jacqueline LaPointe

A new rural health model recently unveiled by CMS will offer rural providers and their communities new funding opportunities to bolster value-based care through capitated payments and accountable care...

Lawmakers Propose Changes to MACRA to Boost ACO, APM Participation

by Jacqueline LaPointe

A bipartisan bill introduced late last week aims to increase alternative payment model (APM) participation by making “commonsense changes” to the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization...

AMGA Calls for Medicare Shared Savings Program Changes Amid COVID-19

by Jacqueline LaPointe

CMS should keep the 2021 application cycle for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) open and implement other changes to the program to protect providers from excessive costs incurred during the...

ACOs Want Later Dropout Date for Medicare Shared Savings Program

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are calling for more support during the coronavirus pandemic, including more time to decide whether to continue participation in the Medicare Shared Savings...

ACO Participation Did Not Lower Care Access for Vulnerable Patients

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Physician groups did not reduce their share of vulnerable patients after joining an accountable care organization despite claims of the opposite, a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine...