ACO Health Partners: Medicare Shared Savings Program Performance Year 2015 Quality and Financial Results

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Sept. 8, 2016 - PRLog -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the 2015 performance year results for the Medicare Shared Savings Program and the Pioneer Accountable Care Organization Model that show physicians, hospitals and health care providers participating in Accountable Care Organizations continue to make significant improvements in the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries, while achieving cost savings.

In 2015, Medicare Accountable Care Organizations had combined total program savings of $466 million, which includes all Accountable Care Organizations' experiences, for 392 Medicare Shared Savings Program participants and 12 Pioneer Accountable Care Organization Model participants. The results show that more Accountable Care Organizations shared savings in 2015 compared to 2014, and those with more experience tend to perform better over time.

Medicare ACOs are groups of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers, who come together voluntarily to provide coordinated high quality care to their Medicare patients. The goal of coordinated care is to ensure that patients, especially the chronically ill, get the right care at the right time, while avoiding unnecessary duplication of services and preventing medical errors. When an ACO exceeds quality and financial thresholds – demonstrating achievement of high-quality care and wiser spending of health care dollars – it is able to share in the savings generated for Medicare.

ACO Health Partners was one of the ACOs that shared savings.

"Knowing that only approximately 30% of all ACOs in 2015 achieved shared savings, and even fewer achieved two consecutive years of shared savings, this places ACO Health Partners in an elite group that is proactively changing healthcare. Our dedicated network of physicians found a trusted partner in Citra Health Solutions and benefits from their platform of innovative technology and engagement services that improves care delivery, ensuring successful outcomes.  At ACO Health Partners, we plan to continue seizing every opportunity that we are given to improve the care experience," said John Wagner, Executive Director of ACO Health Partners.

Additional Resources

Visit the Medicare Shared Savings Program News and Updates webpage to access the CMS press release and fact sheet, the link to the Performance Year 2015 results file, and to learn more about the program.