On Sept. 16 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued performance results for two ACO initiatives: the Pioneer ACO Model and the Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs. Both initiatives showed significant improvements in the quality of care provided. The report additionally indicates that ACOs have reduced Medicare spending by $817 million since their 2012 launch.
A significant portion of the savings – $445 million – was returned to doctors and hospitals as shared savings. These shared savings were distributed to eleven Pioneer ACOs and 53 Shared Savings Program ACOs. Not all ACOs were successful and a number of the ACOs are required to repay losses to Medicare.
