ACOs Press CMS to Extend Dropout Deadline for MSSP Amid Virus Chaos

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are asking for more support from the Trump administration amid the pandemic. ACOs want more time to decide on whether to voluntarily exit the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) as coronavirus-related financial losses and balance sheet deficits pile up.

With payments tied to spending and patient benchmarks, ACOs are also asking the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for optional protection of losses in return for a reduced shared savings rate, no lower than 40 percent.

In a letter sent to the agency last week, providers in value-based care arrangements voiced concerns that worsening patient outcomes due to the outbreak could have a dire effect on their overall performance and may in turn lead to crippling financial penalties.

The letter read, in part:

CMS must act now to retain physicians and hospitals who have committed to accountable care and the transition to value, especially those that have assumed high levels of risk.

Penned by a coalition of organizations, including the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) and the American Medical Association, the letter called for CMS to push back the dropout date for organizations to decide whether to stay in the MSSP from June 1 to Oct. 31.

A NAACOS survey last month concluded over half, 56 percent, of at risk ACOs are considering exiting the program to avoid detrimental losses. The sizable reduction in the program risks major setbacks in a decades-long effort for shift to value-based care.

For more on the push for an extension, check out Revcycle Intelligence and Healthcare Dive.

Also, take a look at Fierce Healthcare.

For the coalition’s letter, click here.