Vermont Gov. Pete Shumlin and healthcare leaders in the state unveiled three Medicaid accountable care organizations this week, according to a Burlington Free Press report.
The three Vermont ACOs are OneCare Vermont, Vermont Collaborative Physicians and Community Health ACO. The groups are already participants in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, but are now expanding to include Medicaid and commercial insurers.
The Medicaid ACO pilot will be for three years, also the time used for the Medicare pilot. The Department of Vermont Health Access, which is administering the pilot, aligned Medicaid ACO standards closely to those defined by the Medicare Shared Savings Program.
ACOs may share in a portion of savings they achieve for Medicaid, based on financial and quality performance, but they may also be required to repay Medicaid for shared losses. ACOs have an option between two tracks: Track 1 will not agree to share downside risk, but their upside share of savings will be less than what may be earned by ACOs that agree to Track 2, which will have a downside risk share component. The news report did not disclose which track the three ACOs selected.
Gov. Shumlin called the Medicaid ACO launch "a celebration of collaboration," according to the report.
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