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PRESS RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 22, 2016 — The National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) applauds the introduction of H.R. 6101, the “ACO Improvement Act of 2016” sponsored by Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT). This legislation provides sensible modifications to the Medicare Share Savings Program (MSSP) program, including operational changes that will benefit Medicare beneficiaries by promoting coordinated health care and allow Medicare ACOs to succeed and remain a viable business model.

Clif Gaus, NAACOS President and CEO, commented, “Signing this bill into law would strengthen ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program and give physicians and clinicians more tools to provide better-coordinated care, resulting in improved quality standards and generating savings for the Medicare Trust Fund.”

H.R. 6101 includes:
  • Waivers for all tracks on cost-sharing, telemedicine & remote monitoring
  • Waivers for 2-sided tracks on skilled nursing facilities and homebound care requirements
  • Choice of prospective or retrospective assignment of beneficiaries
  • Allowing certain non-physician providers and health centers to be assigned beneficiaries
  • Bonus payments for quality achievement and for quality improvement
  • Improvements to the risk adjustment methodology to better account for changes in patient health status over time
Other organizations supporting this legislation include the American College of Physicians, AMGA and Premier Healthcare Alliance.

In addition, Gaus noted, “ACOs face a number of uphill battles today, and it’s critical that we change the Medicare Shared Savings Program to ensure its long-term success. This legislation helps address some significant ACO pain points, and we look forward to working with Congress to pass this bill and get it signed into law.”

MEDIA CONTACT:
Clif Gaus, ScD
President and CEO 

The National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) is the largest association of Medicare ACOs, representing over 3.1 million beneficiary lives through 210 MSSP ACOs, Next Generation, Pioneer and commercial ACOs. NAACOS is an ACO member-led and member- owned non-profit organization that works on behalf of ACOs across the nation to improve the quality of Medicare delivery, population health and outcomes, and health care cost efficiency.