This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the final rule governing the new Medicare Shared Savings Program for accountable care organizations (ACOs), which is intended to encourage providers to work together to manage and coordinate care for Medicare beneficiaries. A new post explores the new rule and the flexibility it offers health care providers. In a related blog post, The Commonwealth Fund's Mark Zezza and Stuart Guterman explain the Pioneer Model, a companion ACO program for provider organizations experienced in delivering coordinated care across settings. In the first post, they compared shared-savings payments in the Pioneer Model and the Shared Savings Program. In the second, they look at patient assignment, provider participation, the contract period, the governing board, and multipayer alignment.
