CMS Replaces Direct Contracting With New ACO Model

The Global and Professional Direct Contracting Model is transitioning to a redesigned provider-led Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Model, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Thursday. The ACO Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (REACH) Model aims to continue the momentum of provider-led organizations participating in risk-based models and protect beneficiaries and the model […]

ACO Participation May Keep SNFs ‘In the Game’

Although accountable care organizations (ACOs) have never been particularly popular among skilled nursing facilities, timing may be ripe to take on more risk to stay competitive in the market. ACO participation may help operators maintain referrals when so many potential residents are being diverted to home health care, hospice and other tracks along the continuum […]

Value-Centric Legislation Gives ACOs a Leg Up

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives this week introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen Medicare’s value-based care models and accountable care organizations (ACOs), among other alternative payment models (APMs). Doctors, hospitals and other providers make up an ACO — the group coordinates care for Medicare patients while limiting extraneous services and preventing medical errors. The […]

Verma: Overhaul Led to Significant Growth in ACOs Taking on Risk, But Verdict Out on Spending

A federal overhaul to the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), implemented late in 2018, has led to an increase in the number of accountable care organizations (ACOs) taking on downside risk. The redesign of the program, dubbed “Pathways to Success,” generally required new ACOs to take accountability for spending increases after two years; previously ACOs […]

ACOs Saved Medicare $3.53 Billion, New Analysis Finds

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) have reduced spending by $3.53 billion from 2013 to 2017, and after accounting for shared savings bonuses, saved the federal government $755 million. That’s according to a new evaluation by the Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm Dobson DaVanzo & Associates, conducted on behalf of the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS), which represents […]

Sitting Out Bundled Payments Could Leave Skilled Nursing Providers Far Behind

For many skilled nursing providers, the launch last week of the 2020 application period for the government’s flagship bundled-payment program was low on the list of priorities. After all, under the new Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced) model, nursing homes can’t be episode initiators, meaning hospitals and other acute-care providers are the […]

ACOs Push Back on CMS Savings Estimates In New Analysis

A new analysis from a group of more than 300 accountable care organizations (ACOs) argues that the groups generated much more in savings than official estimates would suggest. The announcement from the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) claims that ACOs generated gross savings of $1.84 billion for Medicare, almost double the $954 million estimated by […]