Accountable Care Options, LLC Selected to Participate in the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization Model For 2017

The federal government is transitioning to alternative payment models from traditional, fee-for-service Medicare payments. CMS is partnering with experienced ACOs deemed ready to assume higher levels of financial risk and reward.

 

“This is the next stage in a new model of payment for medical care,” said Accountable Care Options CEO Richard Lucibella. “We embrace the model’s challenges and the opportunity to produce greater financial rewards for the physician practices in our organization.”

 

Accountable Care Options has earned financial rewards for its members since it formed in 2013 and joined the Medicare Shared Savings Program. In its first year, physician Shared Savings payments averaged $500 per fee-for-service Medicare patient in addition to the practice’s regular Medicare reimbursement; physician practices also achieved a quality score of 100 percent from CMS. Accountable Care Options’ Shared Savings totaled $4.4 million in 2014 and $7.2 million in 2015.

 

Based on its successes, Accountable Care Options applied this year to the Next Generation ACO Model, whose “Better, Smarter, Healthier” approach to improving health care is based on the quality rather than the quantity of patient care provided. The Model tests whether strong financial incentives for ACOs, coupled with tools to support better patient engagement and care management, can improve health outcomes and reduce expenditures for Medicare beneficiaries.