On July 9, 2012, HHS announced the approval of 89 new accountable care organizations (ACOs) for participation in the Medicare Shared Savings Program.  These new ACOs began participating in the Shared Savings Program on July 1, and HHS estimates that these ACOs will serve 1.2 million Medicare beneficiaries in 40 states and the District of Columbia.

All but five of the 89 ACOs will participate in the Shared Savings Program’s “one-sided model” in which participants are eligible only for a portion of shared savings upon satisfying certain clinical quality measures and realizing minimum cost savings; the remaining ACOs will participate in the “two-sided model” and will be eligible for a larger portion of shared savings, but also may incur losses if the ACOs fail to realize cost savings.

In total, 154 ACOs are participating in the Shared Savings Program.  The list of the 89 new ACOs is available by clicking here.

Reporter, Christopher Kenny, Washington, DC, + 1 202 626 9253, ckenny@kslaw.com.