CMS Accepts More Advance Payment ACO Applications

From Aug. 1 through Sept. 19, CMS' Innovation Center will accept applications for an additional round of organizations looking to participate in the Medicare Shared Savings Program's Advance Payment Accountable Care Organization model.

The Advance Payment ACO model is intended for physician-based and/or rural provider MSSP participants. Advance Payments allows selected participants to receive set monthly payments from CMS that ACOs can use to fund coordinated care efforts.

Organizations will need to file a notice of intent to apply for MSSP by June 29 in order to be eligible for the Advance Payment ACO model.

Advance Payment is open to two types of ACOs, according to CMS.

• Those that do not include any inpatient facilities and have less than $50 million in total annual revenue.
• Those in which only inpatient facilities are critical access hospitals and/or Medicare low-volume rural hospitals and have less than $80 million in total annual revenue.

ACOs that are co-owned with a health plan are ineligible, regardless of whether they also fall into one of the above categories, according to CMS.
MSSP participants selected for the Advance Payment ACO model will begin the program January 1, 2013.

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