While the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is touting the success of tying 30 percent of fee-for-service Medicare payments to alternative payment models, such as accountable care organizations and bundled payments, questions still remain over how much money value-based programs will save. In 2014, CMS said the 20 ACOs in its Pioneer program and the 333 in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, saved a total of $411 million. However, after paying bonuses to the strong performers, the ACO program reported a net loss of $2.6 million, according to Kaiser Health News.
Deborah Dorman-Rodriguez, Leader of the Healthcare Practice Group, and David M. Kaufman, Partner in the Healthcare Practice Group, were interviewed for a story about Medicare ACO program savings. In the interview, Ms. Dorman-Rodriguez states that ACOs have other benefits aside from cost-savings by which the programs should be assessed. "There is the true intent and hope that by providing comprehensive care and sharing a risk, the quality is improved," said Ms. Dorman-Rodriguez. "It's not just monetary; that can be very exciting to providers."
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