Voluntary, New Care Coordination Program Created to Offer High Quality Service and Care to Beneficiaries through Partnership with Medicare
MOUNT KISCO, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Accountable Care Coalition of Mount Kisco, LLC today announced it has been selected to participate in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (Shared Savings Program) Accountable Care Organization (ACO), a multifaceted new program sponsored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Through the Shared Savings Program, Accountable Care Coalition of Mount Kisco, LLC will work with CMS to provide Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with high quality service and care, while reducing the growth in Medicare expenditures through enhanced care coordination.
“We are forming an ACO in response to the rapidly changing healthcare environment to seamlessly continue our tradition of providing quality care to our patients,” said Scott D. Hayworth, M.D., President and CEO, Mount Kisco Medical Group. “The Mount Kisco Medical Group’s partnership with Collaborative Health Systems brings together the expertise of both organizations to insure our patients have the best options available in the current healthcare market.”
The Shared Savings Program will reward ACOs that lower the rate of growth in healthcare costs for Medicare beneficiaries while meeting performance standards on quality of care and putting patients first. ACOs are groups of doctors and other healthcare providers working together to provide high quality service and care for their patients. Provider participation in an ACO is purely voluntary and Medicare beneficiaries retain their current ability to seek treatment from any provider they wish.
CMS will use robust quality measures to reward ACOs, including the Accountable Care Coalition of Mount Kisco, LLC, for providing Medicare beneficiaries with a positive patient experience and better health outcomes, while also reducing growth in Medicare expenditures for the same patient population.
"Accountable Care Organizations will improve coordination and communication among physicians and other providers which will help improve care and lower costs for Medicare beneficiaries,” said Marilyn B. Tavenner, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “We are excited to welcome the Accountable Care Coalition of Mount Kisco, LLC, as a partner with Medicare and look forward to working with them to improve care for Medicare beneficiaries in New York and Connecticut."
Under the Shared Savings Program, 27 ACOs have entered into agreements with Medicare to take responsibility for the quality of care furnished to individual beneficiaries in return for the opportunity to share in any savings with the Medicare program for improved care.
The Shared Savings Program was created as part of the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare reform law of 2010, to better coordinate care for Medicare patients through ACOs. Instead of patients having to navigate the complex health system on their own, these ACOs will work hand-in-hand with patients to ensure patients do not slip through the cracks. ACOs will encourage providers to work more closely together than ever before and offer incentives to providers that better coordinate a patient’s care and treat patients across care settings—including doctors’ offices, hospitals, and other healthcare settings. The Shared Savings Program is not a Medicare Advantage plan or an HMO. Beneficiaries with fee-for-service Medicare will still have the right to use any doctor or hospital who accepts Medicare, at any time.
Today’s announcement is the culmination of a comprehensive selection process that began in the fall of 2011 with the national release of the Medicare Shared Savings Program application by CMS. The Accountable Care Coalition of Mount Kisco, LLC, was selected based on rigorous eligibility criteria and program requirements.
About Accountable Care Coalition of Mount Kisco, LLC
Accountable Care Coalition of Mount Kisco, LLC was founded by Mount Kisco Medical Group, PC to serve as a Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO. Accountable Care Coalition of Mount Kisco, LLC will join with Collaborative Health Systems (CHS) in coordinating high-quality care and service for Medicare fee-for-service patients.
About Mount Kisco Medical Group, PC
The Mount Kisco Medical Group, PC (MKMG) is a multi-specialty medical group that provides the highest quality medical care to over 275,000 patients in 25 different locations throughout Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties. Founded in 1946, MKMG has grown to over 270 physicians representing 40 different medical specialties with major campuses in Mount Kisco, Carmel, Katonah, Fishkill and Poughkeepsie. The Group is an independent clinical affiliate of the internationally recognized Massachusetts General Hospital. MKMG has on-site laboratory and radiology services, as well as an Endoscopy suite and infusion area, rendering comprehensive care in one convenient location. The Group has always maintained a firm commitment to each of our patients to provide high quality medical and surgical care in a warm, friendly setting, and in a caring manner. Each and every member of our staff is dedicated to this ideal: physicians, nurses, technicians and support personnel.
About Collaborative Health Systems
Collaborative Health Systems is a member of the Universal American Corp. (NYSE: UAM) family of healthcare companies and provides a range of care coordination, analytics and reporting, technology and other administrative services to enable physicians and other healthcare professionals to deliver better care, improved health and lower healthcare costs to their patients.
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