Shared Savings Collaborative Launched by the Premier Healthcare Alliance to Help ACOs with Medicare Applications
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The launched a new collaborative to help health systems apply for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP).
Premier, a provider-owned performance improvement alliance of 2,600 hospitals and 86,000 other care sites, created the collaborative to aid in the MSSP’s challenging application process.
Developed in October 2011, the MSSP allows Medicare to enter into contracts with individual accountable care organizations (ACOs) that agree to take responsibility for the quality of care furnished to individual beneficiaries. In return, these ACOs, which often include hospitals, primary care physicians, specialists, medical groups and post-acute providers, have the opportunity to share in savings realized through improved care.
To participate in the voluntary MSSP program, ACOs must first complete an extensive application detailing their specific capabilities. This includes ACO structure, ability to distribute shared savings payments, governance and leadership capabilities, financial viability and plan, provider agreements, data sharing capabilities, quality improvement plans, clinical processes and patient engagement strategies. In addition, every aspect of the ACO’s plan must comply with regulations issued by the Medicare program.
“Premier provided resources that helped us with a successful Shared Savings Program application,” said Associate General Counsel Robert Gerberry of Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio, who prepared the MSSP application for NewHealth Collaborative, an ACO launched by Summa and a group of northeast Ohio physicians. “Through Premier, we had direct access to representatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for application questions, opportunities to speak with other healthcare organizations going through the same process, and exceptional consulting expertise as we drafted our application.”
To prepare for MSSP applications, Premier offers all collaborative participants:
“Given the short time frame for developing MSSP applications, it is imperative that interested ACOs start executing now,” said Joe Damore, vice president of integrated engagement and delivery and head of the MSSP collaborative. “We have a strong track record of success in previous MSSP application rounds and believe that we can help almost any organization successfully develop a winning proposal.”
Collaborative members will benefit from Premier's clinical, financial and operational comparative databases, containing 1 in 4 patient discharges and close to $43 billion in annual purchasing data. They use this information to enable data-driven, evidence-based decisions to improve quality, reduce costs and coordinate care delivery.
Premier is accepting new members to join the MSSP collaborative for the next available contracting period, which begins on January 1, 2013. Applications for the next round of contracting must be completed and submitted to the Medicare program by September 6, 2012, to be considered. Those interested in participating can learn more on the .
The MSSP collaborative is a cohort within Premier’s Partnership for Care Transformation (™), a collaborative with 300 hospitals sharing best practices to assist in evaluating and building ACO capabilities through education, best practice sharing and measurement/benchmarking.
Premier is a performance improvement alliance of more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals and 86,000-plus other sites using the power of collaboration and technology to lead the transformation to coordinated, high-quality, cost-effective care. Owned by hospitals, health systems and other providers, Premier operates a leading healthcare purchasing network with more than $4 billion in annual savings. Premier also maintains the nation's largest clinical, financial and outcomes database with information on 1 in 4 patient discharges. A world leader in delivering measurable improvements in care, Premier works with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier also has an office in Washington. . Stay connected on , and .