Performance differences in year 1 of pioneer accountable care organizations.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In 2012, a total of 32 organizations entered the Pioneer accountable care organization (ACO) program, in which providers can share savings with Medicare if spending falls below a financial benchmark. Performance differences associated with characteristics of Pioneer ACOs have not been well described.

Methods

In a difference-in-differences analysis of Medicare fee-for-service claims, we compared Medicare spending for beneficiaries attributed to Pioneer ACOs (ACO group) with other beneficiaries (control group) before (2009 through 2011) and after (2012) the start of Pioneer ACO contracts, with adjustment for geographic area and beneficiaries' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. We estimated differential changes in spending for several subgroups of ACOs: t

SUBMITTER: McWilliams JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4475634 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature