How Top Accountable Care Organizations Save Year After Year

Accountable care organizations had a record year, according to the latest performance data for the Medicare Shared Savings Program.

CMS recently announced that organizations participating in the program – which are otherwise known as ACOs – saved Medicare nearly $1.2 billion in 2019 while maintaining a high level of care quality as measured by longstanding program metrics.

It was the largest annual savings for the program to date, CMS Administrator Seema Verma highlighted in the announcement. Additionally, it was the third consecutive year for net program savings.

Program savings in previous years have not been as impressive, according to CMS data. In 2018, for example, ACOs in the program only saved Medicare about $739 million after CMS paid out shared savings. The year before, ACOs saved Medicare just $314 million.

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