NAPH Submits Comment Letter on ACO Rule - June 7, 2011

On June 6, NAPH submitted its comments on the proposed Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Rule to Donald Berwick, M.D., administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The letter emphasizes NAPH concerns that the proposed Medicare Shared Savings Program would preclude participation by many safety net health systems that lack the resources necessary to make significant investments for the establishment and operation of an ACO. In addition, the comments note that, even for those health systems that may have the funding available to establish an ACO, the potential for shared savings is currently too low to encourage participation by providers. NAPH also encourages CMS to establish a “Safety Net ACO” learning collaborative through the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Innovation to support participation by safety net providers in ACOs and other demonstrations. The full comment letter is available online.