New Shared Savings Program ACO’s are joining as new participants of the expanding ACO investment model gains momentum. In January, an additional 89 provider organizations joined
the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) as accountable care organizations (ACOs). And while this is less than the amount joining the cohort in 2013 and 2014, expansion is expected to continue.
More growth, more coverage
According to Levitt Partners Center for Accountable Care Intelligence, “In addition to growth in the total number of ACOs, there has been continued growth in the number of people covered by ACO arrangements. Since the start of 2014, an estimated 4.5 million more people have been included in accountable care arrangements, bringing the total to 23.5 million covered ACO lives (Figure 2). Of these, only 7.8 million are part of the Medicare ACO programs (Pioneer and Medicare Shared Savings Program), meaning that the majority of ACO volume is coming from the commercial and Medicaid sectors” (via Health Affairs Blog).
While the goal of each ACO is to achieve the “triple aim” of improving quality, increasing patient satisfaction, while reducing costs, getting there can be a challenge. The focus is shifting the incentives of the medical team from volume of patients served, to quality of care given by maximizing overall healthcare.
Measures of ACO success
The top measures of success, as ranked by the latest survey given by Health Information Network (HIN) were as follows:
- Clinical outcomes: 88%
- Patient satisfaction: 68%
- Health utilization: 64%
- Health claims: 60%
- Engagement: 48%
Here are the rest of them, including a few more honorable mentions, below.
Via: Healthcare Intelligence Network
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keywords: ACO, ACO Success, Accountable Care Organizations, ACO Metrics