CMS to Hold June 7 Conference Call on Pioneer ACOs - June 1, 2011

The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced it will host a conference call on June 7 at 12:00 PM EST on the request for applications for Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Pioneer ACOs fall under a new initiative announced by the CMS Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) designed for entities that are already participating in care coordination. While a number of the requirements of the Pioneer ACO Model are consistent with or identical to those of the Medicare Shared Savings Program, the two models differ in several important respects. These differing factors include the opportunity for a more aggressive assumption of risk by the ACO, the possibility of a prospective beneficiary assignment methodology, and an expansion in the type of primary care providers serving ACO patients. CMMI has stated that initial participation in the Pioneer ACO model will be limited to 30 organizations; interested entities should submit a letter of intent for participation by June 10, 2011. More information on the Pioneer ACO model may be found online.