NAACOS Testifies on Capitol Hill 

On Thursday, September 13, NAACOS member and MSSP Track 3 ACO Covenant Health System in Lubbock, Texas, testified during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing entitled “Examining Barriers to Expanding Innovative, Value-Based Care in Medicare.” Chief Medical Officer Michael Richardson told lawmakers how participation in the MSSP has encouraged his system to reinvest in technology and population health tools, saving Medicare $5 million in its first year. However, Covenant, currently a MSSP Track 3 ACO, notes that it would have been unlikely to make the jump into the MSSP or later assume risk without already focusing on forming a clinically integrated network.The hearing overall was a chance for the panel to explore how Medicare can change to better incentivize value-based reimbursement and move away from fee-for-service payments. 

Read the press release that NAACOS issued following Dr. Robertson’s testimony.

Read the statement of Michael Robertson, MD Chief Medical Officer, Covenant Health Partners on behalf of the National Association of ACOs to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.   

Watch his testimony before the committee here (it begins at approximately 1:06).