CMS' Office of the Actuary has certified the Pioneer Accountable Care Organization Model as the first of its ACO pilot programs to meet the necessary criteria for expansion.
Now, HHS plans to find ways to implement the model in other Medicare programs.
"This is a crucial milestone in our efforts to build a healthcare system that delivers better care, spends our healthcare dollars more wisely and results in healthier people," HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said in a statement. "The Affordable Care Act gave us powerful new tools to test better ways to improve patient care and keep communities healthier. The Pioneer ACO Model has demonstrated that patients can get high quality and coordinated care at the right time, and we can generate savings for Medicare and the healthcare system at large."
More than 600,000 beneficiaries currently receive care in Pioneer ACOs, and the model has generated more than $384 million in the first two years, according to an independent evaluation from HHS.
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