Pioneer ACO

Atrius Health recently announced that its Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) has achieved over a 95 percent quality score from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and saved Medicare $6.8 million. Atrius Health’s practices achieved high quality and patient experience scores while also achieving savings for Medicare according to 2015 results released today by the CMS. These results demonstrate the organization’s continued success in achieving the Triple Aim of improving health outcomes and patient experience as well as reducing the total cost of care.

When the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched the Pioneer ACO model, Atrius Health, which has long supported value-based care, jumped at the opportunity to participate. Recently, Emily Brower, our Vice President of Population Health shared some of our chief learnings throughout our journey as a Pioneer ACO.

Atrius Health announced yesterday it has ranked as the highest on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) overall quality score among Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in Massachusetts and has ranked third highest nationally based on 33 ACO quality measures tracked by the CMS. Atrius Health’s medical groups achieved among the highest quality and patient experience scores nationally while also achieving savings for Medicare according to 2014 results released today by the CMS for over 300 organizations participating in Medicare ACOs.

We are delighted to offer our congratulations to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMS Innovation Center) on their recent announcement regarding the independent evaluation showing the Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model generated a savings of $384 million to Medicare over its first two years. This report demonstrates that accountable care can reduce the growth in costs while also improving quality.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia M.

The practice of academic detailing involves educating clinicians to make appropriate decisions about prescribing medication based on the best available safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness data. As the program manager of the academic detailing service (ADS) for the Atrius Health clinical pharmacy program, I have seen our service evolve and transform over the past several years through the evaluation of our impact, solicitation of internal feedback and collaboration with others in the field, including the National Resource Center for Academic Detailing (NaRCAD.)

When we began the clinical pharmacy ADS program in 2011,

Atrius Health was honored to be among several panelists to participate in the 2014 Annual Cost Trends Hearing yesterday on “Challenges and Opportunities for Coordinated Care: Post-Acute Care.” Richard Lopez, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Atrius Health joined other panelists including representatives from Baystate Medical Center, Brockton Visiting Nurses Association and Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center to discuss the vital role that post-acute care plays in improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.

The following is a news release pertaining to results announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Newton, MA (September 16, 2014) – Atrius Health announced it was the highest quality ACO in New England based on the 33 ACO quality measures and the second highest quality Pioneer ACO in the country. Atrius Health’s medical groups achieved among the highest quality and patient experience scores nationally while also achieving savings for Medicare according to preliminary 2013 results released today by the Centers for Medicare &

Atrius Health was recently named by Becker’s Hospital Review, a leading healthcare industry publication, as one of the “100 Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to Know” in 2014. Atrius Health has managed the continuum of care for its patients in commercial, Medicare and Medicaid plans for decades.

“We are proud to be recognized for a second year as one of the nation’s leading ACOs.  The Atrius Health clinicians and staff are dedicated to achieving the triple aim of increasing quality,

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) publicly released some of the 2012 Accountable Care Organization (ACO) quality data results for 141 Medicare ACOs on the Physician Compare website. The quality measures include:

• Controlling blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes.
• Controlling blood pressure in patients with diabetes.
• Prescribing aspirin to patients with diabetes and heart disease.
• Patients with diabetes who do not use tobacco.

Atrius Health was recently named by Becker’s Hospital Review, a leading healthcare industry publication, as one of the “100 Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to Know” in 2013. The Becker’s editorial team recognized Atrius Health for its focus on quality improvement, cost reduction and population health management.

“We are proud to join the nation’s leading ACOs on this prestigious list, which is due to the work of our dedicated team across all of Atrius Health and our collaborations with hospital and community partners,” said Marci Sindell,