Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) released results of the Medicare Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) pilot program. In the second year of the program, Steward generated $19.2 million of savings for the Medicare program, the best performance among Massachusetts Pioneers and the second best performance of all Pioneer ACOs in the nation. This represents approximately 20% of the $96 million in total savings achieved nationally in the Pioneer program, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center.
“These results are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our providers and staff across the network. We are so proud of the incredible strides that we have made in such a short time, growing quickly into a nationally recognized leader in accountable care,” said Sanjay Shetty, MD, President of Steward Health Care Network.
In addition to increasing its savings, Steward improved overall quality and achieved significant success by maintaining high performance in patient experience while focusing on:
- Patient safety and coordination of care
- Preventive health including vaccinations and screenings
- Care for populations with chronic conditions such as diabetes and coronary artery disease
“We are very excited about the Medicare Pioneer ACO Program and believe it will help us continue to provide high quality care to our Medicare beneficiaries in an efficient and coordinated manner in the communities we serve,” added Dr. Shetty.
About Steward Health Care System
Steward Health Care System (Steward) is a community-based accountable care organization (ACO) that offers a full range of health care services to patients in Eastern Massachusetts. It is widely regarded as one of the most successful ACOs in the United States. Steward has 3,000 physicians, 11 hospital campuses, 24 affiliated urgent care providers, home care, hospice and other services. Since 2010, Steward has invested more than $850 million in its integrated care system to improve the quality of care, renovate facilities, upgrade technology and enhance the patient experience. Steward serves more than one million patients annually in more than 150 communities. It is also one of the largest employers and taxpayers in most cities and towns where it operates. Additional information is available at www.steward.org.