CMS Proposed Rules for Accountable Care Organizations & the Medicare Shared Savings Program

On March 31, 2011, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released proposed rules regarding the establishment of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), through a Medicare Shared Savings Program. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) directed the CMS to begin demonstration projects to test ACOs nationwide. Under the proposed rules, a service provider organization must join an ACO and apply to CMS in order to participate in the Shared Savings Program. Existing ACOs will not necessarily be accepted into the Shared Savings Program. Within the program, ACOs will be required to serve a minimum of 5,000 . . .