Nine Pioneer ACOs To Exit Program

On July 16, 2013, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that nine of the 32 entities participating in the Medicare Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) demonstration will not continue in the second year of the program. Seven of the ACOs leaving the Pioneer demonstration plan to apply to the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), which has a different ACO risk structure. Two Pioneer ACOs plan to leave the program entirely. CMS has not confirmed which Pioneer ACOs applied for transition to the MSSP and which two are exiting completely.

Although CMS has not released the organizations . . .