Who Are The ‘Big Winners’ Of Medicare ACO Bonus Payments?

In August, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the latest round of performance results for the Medicare accountable care organization (ACO) programs (see Medicare Accountable Care Organizations 2015 Performance Year Quality and Financial Results).

CMS estimates that, in total, the Medicare ACO programs produced $466 million dollars in savings during 2015, representing .0007% of the $648 billion in Medicare spending (ACO payouts have exceeded savings resulting in a program net loss). During that period, CMS paid $645.5 million in ACO bonuses. But, those savings and bonus payments vary across ACOs.

(For a refresher on Medicare ACO . . .