ACOs Cost Government Money, But Skilled Nursing Opportunity Remains Large

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) don’t always meet their intended goals of saving the government money, and while a new study shows that the model has led to losses in New York, its author asserts that the programs remain ripe for skilled nursing opportunities.

Five years into the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), ACOs in the Empire State generated a net loss of $70 million in 2017, according to a report released last week from the United Hospital Fund — or $75 per beneficiary.

That runs counter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) ACO aims: By encouraging providers up and down the care continuum to work together at improving quality...