Medicare ACOs, Including Essential Care Partners, Continue to Improve Quality of Care, Generate Shared Savings

AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued 2014 quality and
financial performance results showing that more Medicare Accountable
Care Organizations (ACOs) continue to generate financial savings while
improving the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries by fostering
greater collaboration between doctors, hospitals, and health care
providers.

When an ACO demonstrates that it has achieved high-quality care and
effectively reducing spending of health care dollars above certain
thresholds, it is able to share in the savings generated for Medicare.
In 2014, 20 Pioneer and 333 Shared Savings Program ACOs generated more
than $411 million in savings, which includes all ACOs savings and
losses. The results also show that ACOs with more experience in the
program tend to perform better over time.

Medicare 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. The goal of coordinated care is
to ensure that patients, especially the chronically ill, get the right
care at the right time, while avoiding unnecessary duplication of
services and preventing medical errors. When an ACO exceeds quality and
financial thresholds – demonstrating achievement of high-quality care
and wiser spending of health care dollars – it is able to share in the
savings generated for Medicare.

Essential Care Partners, an ACO comprised of 24 Texas community health
centers, is one of the ACOs that generated shared savings.

José E. Camacho, Chairman of the Essential Care Partners Board of
Managers, said he is pleased the ACO generated over $1.5 million in
shared savings. “It has been our focus to offer high-quality medical
services to the many underserved Americans in our community. Across the
nation, community health center ACOs performed at the highest levels,
demonstrating that the health center model provides high quality
affordable care,” Mr. Camacho said. “The 2014 results reflect our
continuing commitment to learning and our providers’ commitment to
making a positive impact on the health care of our patients.”

For more detailed quality and financial results, click
here.

Additional Resources

Visit the Medicare
Shared Savings Program News and Updates webpage to access the HHS
press release and fact sheet, the link to the Performance Year 2014
results file, and to learn more about the program.

Contacts

Essential Care Partners
Rachael Susaneck, 202-585-2037