Atrius Health’s Next Generation Accountable Care Organization Saves Medicare $14.8 million in second year of participation

Results announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also found strong performance in clinical quality and patient experience

January 15, 2020 -- Atrius Health announced today that its Next Generation Accountable Care Organization (ACO) has achieved strong clinical quality and patient experience scores from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and saved CMS $14.8 million. Atrius Health’s practices, including Medicare beneficiaries who received most of their primary care at Dedham Medical Associates, Granite Medical Group, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates or PMG Physician Associates, achieved savings for Medicare in their second reporting year of participation in the Next Generation ACO Model based on 2018 results recently released by CMS. These results demonstrate the organization’s continued success in achieving the Triple Aim of improving health outcomes and patient experience as well as reducing the total cost of care.

CMS chose 29 total measures to represent patient/caregiver experience, care coordination and patient safety, preventive health, and care for patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and/or ischemic vascular disease. When compared with other Next Generation ACO participants, Atrius Health scored above the mean on 20 of 29 measures. Atrius Health was particularly proud to score above the Next Generation ACO mean on six out of eight patient experience metrics. Other Atrius Health metrics that scored above the mean include pneumonia vaccination status for older adults, screening for clinical depression and follow-up plan, colorectal cancer screening, breast cancer screening, and statin therapy for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

“Our mission to innovate and improve the quality, cost and experience of care is made possible by the lifelong relationships we’ve developed with patients that span generations and decades,” said Steven Strongwater, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Atrius Health. “We are proud to demonstrate continued success in our second year participating in the Next Generation ACO model, which reflects the compassionate work of our outstanding care teams. Most importantly, we appreciate the feedback from our patients who trust us to care for them and their families.”

“Collaborating with our patients, leveraging analytics and technology, and creating supportive teams around our providers helps us improve quality and access by providing the right services in the right settings,” said Joe Kimura, MD MPH, Chief Medical Officer of Atrius Health. “Through our philosophy of embracing value-based care and helping our patients lead happier and healthier lives, we hope to become the premier destination for clinicians to practice primary care.”

After five years of steady improvement in savings to Medicare as one of the 32 original Pioneer ACOs, Atrius Health built upon its progress as a second-year Next Generation ACO. For the almost 38,000 Medicare beneficiaries aligned to the Atrius Health Next Generation ACO in 2018, Atrius Health saved Medicare $14.8 million compared to its target, returning $13.6 million in shared savings to the organization.

The organization’s strong historical performance is due in large part to decreasing unnecessary hospital admissions and helping people recover safely at home. Atrius Health applies its savings to investments in care coordination, training, data analytics, information technology, and other resources serving its Medicare beneficiaries and other patients.

About Atrius Health

Atrius Health, an innovative nonprofit healthcare leader, delivers an effective system of connected care for more than 745,000 adult and pediatric patients at 31 medical practice locations in eastern Massachusetts.  Atrius Health’s 715 physicians and primary care providers, along with 425 additional clinicians, work together with the home health and hospice services of our VNA Care subsidiary and in close collaboration with hospital partners, community specialists and skilled nursing.  Our vision is to transform care to improve lives. Atrius Health provides high-quality, patient-centered, coordinated, cost effective care to every patient we serve. By establishing a solid foundation of shared decision making, understanding and trust with each of its patients, Atrius Health enhances their health and enriches their lives. Atrius Health is the sole Allied Member of The Permanente Federation. Learn more at www.atriushealth.org.

Next Generation ACO Contact Information

Phone: 617.559.8212

Email: NextGenerationACO@atriushealth.org

Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm