Seventeen healthcare organizations agreed to participate in restructuring Massachusetts' Medicaid program into ACOs.
Effective March 1, 2018, ACOs will manage the state's MassHealth Medicaid program. The change will hold physician networks, hospitals and other providers financially accountable for cost, quality and member experience for more than 850,000 beneficiaries.
The ACO program is funded in part by $1.8 billion in federal investments under the state's five-year section 1115 Medicaid waiver. Approved in November 2016, the waiver allocates more than $100 million in investments during the rest of 2017 to aid the transition.
Worcester, Mass.-based UMass Memorial Health Care and Tufts Health Plans in Watertown, Mass., declined participation in the model after taking part in the MassHealth ACO pilot program beginning in December 2016. UMass Memorial spokesman Tony Berry told telegram.com, "Despite best and continuous efforts it was determined that the financial risks were too great" to participate in the program.
To view the full list of participants, click here.