CMS issues 2015 performance data for Medicare ACOs

Medicare Accountable Care Organizations qualified for more than $466 million in shared savings in 2015 by meeting quality standards and their savings threshold, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced yesterday. Eight Pioneer ACOs generated more than $37 million in shared savings and four generated losses. In addition, 119 Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs earned $429 million in shared savings. Pioneer ACOs are early adopters of coordinated care and assume greater performance-based financial risk. ACOs with three years of experience in the program were more likely to earn savings (42%) than those participating one (22%) or two years (37%). Pioneer ACOs increased their mean quality score to more than 92%, an increase of more than 21 percentage points since the first year. MSSP ACOs improved on 84% of the quality measures that were reported in both 2014 and 2015.