CMS issued 2014 quality and financial performance results showing that Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) continue to improve the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries, while generating financial savings.
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Since 2013, eHealth Initiative and Premier have surveyed public and commercial accountable care organizations to better understand how ACOs are leveraging health information technology to achieve cost savings and quality improvement.
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are groups of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers, who come together voluntarily to provide coordinated, high-quality care to their Medicare patients to help them deliver better care at lower cost.
In December, the CMS, and the OMB published a lengthy notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to improve the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP).
By Edmund Billings MD – I could understand completely if many behavioral health providers and facilities feel like the proverbial red headed stepchild. All this energy and money poured into improving healthcare through comprehensive information technology (IT) systems and behavioral health is left holding an empty basket.
The National Partnership for Women & Families and 11 other leading consumer advocacy groups submitted a letter urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to ensure that the Next Generation ACO Model delivers on higher quality, well-coordinated care.
By Rich Rutherford – Aligning incentive and quality programs with existing Accountable Care Organization (ACO) agreements is essential to improving patient outcomes and confidently negotiating private payer risk-based contracts. I started installing EHRs in 1999 with expected benefits of prescription legibility and reduced chart pulls.
Leading consumer groups, led by the Campaign for Better Care (CBC), filed comments urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to prioritize ensuring that accountable care organizations (ACOs) participating in the next cycle of the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) deliver high-quality, high-value care, supports beneficiary choice and empowerment, and improves ready access to health services.
HHS has announced measurable goals and a timeline to move the Medicare program toward paying providers based on the quality, rather than the quantity of care. This marks the first time HHS has set explicit goals for value-based payments.