CMS Announces the Approval of 123 New ACOs - Seven New ACOs in New York State

CMS has approved 123 new Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) - seven in New York State - to participate in its Medicare Shared Savings Program.  With this latest round of approvals, there are a total of 27 Medicare ACOs that are approved to operate in New York.

ACOs are networks of health care providers that work together to deliver coordinated care to a defined population of patients.  Under the Medicare Shared Savings Program, ACO providers receive fee-for-service payments, and if they satisfy quality metrics and reduce expenses below the ACO’s benchmark, they may share in the savings generated.  ACOs may also opt to pursue a greater percentage of the savings by assuming the risk of sharing in any expenses in excess of the benchmark.

ACOs present opportunities for long term/post-acute care providers seeking to partner with physician practices and hospitals to reduce avoidable hospitalizations and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of post-acute care.  For more information on the ACO model, see LeadingAge New York’s recently-released resource guide, “Advancing the Triple Aim through New Models of Care and Payment.”

The newly-approved ACOs in New York are:

Contact:  Karen Lipson, klipson@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383 ext. 124