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Top 10 Accountable Care Organizations by Medicare Shared Savings

The performance year financial and quality results are in, revealing a successful year for accountable care organizations in 2022.

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- The Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) saved CMS $1.8 billion in 2022, marking the sixth consecutive year of overall savings for the program. This also represents the second-highest yearly savings since the program started in 2012.

More than 700,000 physicians and other non-physicians participate in Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs), serving over 13 million beneficiaries. Of the 482 ACOs that participated in MSSP in 2022, 63 percent earned shared savings, with total earned performance payments reaching $2.52 billion.

In the following article, RevCycleIntelligence breaks down the ACO performance payments and ranks the top ten MSSP earners from 2022 according to their earned savings.

Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance - $61.4 million

Texas-based Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance was the top performer in the country for earned savings. Baylor Scott & White Health is the largest not-for-profit health system in Texas, operating 51 hospitals and more than 800 patient care sites.

The health system’s ACO saved CMS $83.6 million and will receive $61.4 million in shared savings, which it will reinvest in community initiatives targeted toward Medicare beneficiaries. The Quality Alliance participated in the Enhanced Track in a two-sided risk arrangement. Additionally, the ACO earned an 86.74 percent quality score and served over 120,000 Medicare beneficiaries.

Mercy Health ACO, LLC - $61.3 million

Mercy Health ACO served almost 120,000 Medicare beneficiaries across Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas. The ACO includes integrated physicians, critical access hospitals, and rural health clinics. As the second-highest shared savings earner, Mercy Health ACO took on two-sided risk, participated in the Enhanced Track, and earned a quality score of 88.19 percent.

Health Connect Partners, LLC - $48.5 million

Health Connect Partners operates within the Providence Health System and served 119,000 Medicare lives in 2022. The ACO was in a two-sided risk arrangement and participated in Level E of MSSP. The ACO’s shared savings have grown since it joined MSSP in 2020, climbing from $26.1 million to $48.5 million. Health Connect Partners received an 84.94 percent for a quality score.

CareMax National Care Network, LLC - $47.7 million

CareMax is a technology platform that offers value-based care and chronic disease management services. The company acquired the ACO Steward Health Care System in November 2022. CareMax’s ACO has participated in MSSP since 2019, taking on two-sided risk in the Enhanced Track in 2022. The ACO served 100,000 beneficiaries and earned the lowest quality score of the top ten ACOs of 70.63 percent.

Palm Beach Accountable Care Organization - $45.8 million

The top earner in 2021, Palm Beach ACO, saw lower shared savings in 2022. The organization saw $45.8 million in savings in 2022 compared to $61.9 million the year before.

The physician-owned and operated organization employs 275 primary care physicians and 175 specialist physicians who care for over 74,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Florida. Palm Beach ACO had the highest quality score among the top ten ACOs, earning an 89.41 percent. The ACO was in a two-sided risk arrangement in the Enhanced Track of MSSP.

Privia Quality Network, LLC (DC, MD, VA) - $44.1 million

Privia Quality Network of Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia saw a slight increase in shared savings, with payments rising from $41.6 million in 2021 to $44.1 million in 2022. The ACO received a high quality score of 88.1 percent and served over 60,000 beneficiaries.

Privia Quality Network also operates ACOs in Texas, Florida, Georgia, California, and Montana.

Trinity Health Integrated Care - $41.2 million

Trinity Health Integrated Care serves beneficiaries in Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The ACO has earned shared savings every year since it started participating in MSSP.

The ACO participated in the Enhanced Track with two-sided risk and earned an 81.21 percent quality score.

“With this achievement, our teams again show their commitment to continuous improvement. The challenges brought on by the pandemic gave us opportunities to be proactive in our outreach to high-risk patients through expanded capabilities, including telehealth, home visits, post-acute care, and remote monitoring,” Dan Roth, MD, executive vice president and chief clinical officer for Trinity Health, said in a press release.

The Accountable Care Organization, Ltd. - $40.6 million

Evolent Health’s ACO, the Accountable Care Organization, Ltd., saw improved quality compared to last year, earning an 80.17 percent. According to a press release, Evolent Care Partner’s population health strategies have helped reduce rates of hospital admissions, emergency department visits, and skilled nursing facilities since the ACO’s inception.

The ACO served 86,000 Medicare beneficiaries in 2022 with a model designed to meet the needs of independent physician practices.

Advocate Physician Partners Accountable Care, Inc. - $38.0 million

Illinois-based Advocate Physician Partners Accountable Care earned $38.0 million in 2022, $10 million more than in 2021. The ACO covered around 95,000 Medicare beneficiaries, took on two-sided risk, and earned a quality score of 79.22 percent.

The ACO’s parent company, Advocate Health, operates five more ACOs in Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Georgia. Together, the six ACOs earned $69.9 million in shared savings.

Mercy Health Select, LLC - $37.5 million           

Mercy Health Select, based out of Cincinnati, Ohio, earned $37.5 million in 2022. The ACO served nearly 60,000 beneficiaries in eight regions across Ohio and Kentucky. The ACO earned a quality score of 81.82 percent and participated in a two-sided risk arrangement in the Enhanced Track.