Accountable Care Organizations

ACOs Lean More on Physician Assistants, Non-Physician Providers

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are relying more on physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and other non-physician providers to deliver high-quality, low-cost care to assigned patients,...

CareMount’s Foundation for Accountable Care Organization Savings

by Jacqueline LaPointe

In CareMount Health Solutions’ first year as an accountable care organization (ACO) in Medicare’s Next Generation ACO Model, the organization was one of 38 participants to earn shared...

CMS Extends Next Generation ACO Model, Offers APM Flexibilities

by Jacqueline LaPointe

As healthcare providers continue to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, CMS is granting key flexibilities to participants in alternative payment models (APMs) managed by the agency’s Innovation...

More Physician Groups Lead Accountable Care Organizations

by Jacqueline LaPointe

There were more physician-led accountable care organizations (ACOs) than hospital-led ACOs by 2018, according to a study from Leavitt Partners. Physician-led ACOs accounted for approximately 45...

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...

Over Half of At-Risk ACOs May Quit MSSP to Avoid COVID-19 Losses

by Jacqueline LaPointe

More than half (56 percent) of accountable care organizations (ACOs) taking on downside risk through the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) are considering exiting the program due to concerns that...

ACOs Concerned Coronavirus to Impact Shared Savings, Losses

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) in the Medicare Shared Savings Program and other shared risk models are worried the novel coronavirus pandemic could leave them responsible for shared losses...

Third of Execs Don’t Think Value-Based Payment Will Usurp FFS

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Value-based payment adoption has steadily increased, but a third of healthcare executives in a new survey do not believe the alternative payment mechanism will usurp fee-for-service. Fee-for-service...

ACOs Back Hospitalization Alerts in Final Interoperability Rule

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are calling a new Medicare requirement on hospitalization alerts “a win for better population health management,” the National Association of ACOs...

Alternative Payment Models Save, But Drop-Out Rate Still a Concern

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Alternative payment models (APM) primarily run by Medicare have generally produced modest savings and quality improvements. However, popular APMs including accountable care organization (ACO) and...

ACOs Need More Info on New Direct Contracting Model

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Applications for the upcoming Direct Contracting Model are due by the end of the day, but the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) is saying providers do not have enough information on model specifics...

Out-of-Network Primary Care Linked to Higher ACO Costs

by Emily Sokol, MPH

Patients receiving primary care outside of their defined accountable care organization (ACO) network drive up costs for ACOs, a recent study from Portland State University said. The Medicare Shared...

The Role of the Accountable Care Organization in Value-Based Care

by Emily Sokol, MPH

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) were created to push the industry away from fee-for-service towards value-based care. Through care coordination and a shared savings payment model, ACOs strive to...

4 Key Strategies for Accountable Care Organization Success

by Emily Sokol, MPH

The passage of the Affordable Care Act sparked many innovative care delivery and payment reform models. One unique model that emerged from this trend was the accountable care organization (ACO). In this model, groups of doctors,...

How Social Media Helped an Accountable Care Organization Save $50M

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Coordination is key to the online retail industry. From the moment you click “order” on Amazon or Walmart.com, the retailer instantly starts packaging and mailing your item, providing you...

ACOs Enrolled in MSSP Assume Downside Risk as the Program Matures

by Samantha McGrail

More accountable care organizations (ACOs) participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) have assumed downside risk as the program progresses, according to a new Avalere analysis. Most...

What the Latest ACO Numbers Mean for the Future of the MSSP

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Last week, CMS Administrator Seema Verma reported that CMS approved the applications for 53 new accountable care organizations (ACOs) to join the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) starting on Jan....

Number of MSSP ACOs Taking Downside Risk Doubles, CMS Reports

by Jacqueline LaPointe

The number of accountable care organizations (ACOs) in the overhauled Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) assuming downside financial risk doubled from 93 ACOS at the start of 2019 to 192 at the...

Next Generation ACOs Saved Medicare Over $184M in 2018

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Next Generation accountable care organizations (ACOs) reduced spending by about 1.11 percent in 2018, returning more than $184 million to the Medicare Trust Funds, according to new program results from...