ACO’s Are Failing to Qualify for Medicare Bonuses

In a press release from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), less than one third of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) qualified for bonuses based on the 2015 performance year. Although quality improvement was seen in comparing the 2014 and 2015 data, the lack if incentive payments is worrisome to the success of the upcoming Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) implementation. With CMS reporting that “These efforts support the Administration’s goal to have 50 percent of traditional Medicare payments flowing through alternative payment models by 2018,” payments must be increased by 20 percent to reach their target.