Washington, DC – America’s Physician Groups (APG) joined twelve other groups, including the American Academy of Family Physicians and the National Association of ACOs, in support of H.R. 3746, the Accountable Care Act in Rural America Act. This bill would amend the Social Security Act to improve the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) benchmarking process and level the playing field for rural Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) allowing them to benefit from the program.
“We know that MSSP ACOs are generating savings for the Medicare program and improving health care quality,” said APG President and CEO Don Crane. “APG supports fixing the flaw in the current MSSP benchmarking methodology that makes it harder for ACOs in rural area to achieve savings.”
Currently, the regional adjustment in the MSSP benchmark includes an ACO’s own beneficiaries in the regional calculation. This often disadvantages ACOs that make up a large share of their market. The adjustment usually has minimal impact on ACOs with a lot of provider competition. However, the impact is significant in rural areas where ACOs cover a larger percentage of the region’s fee-for-service beneficiaries and there is less provider competition.
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About America’s Physician Groups
America’s Physician Groups is a national association representing more than 340 physician groups with approximately 195,000 physicians providing care to nearly 45 million patients. APG’s tagline, ‘Taking Responsibility for America’s Health,’ represents our members’ vision to move from the antiquated, dysfunctional fee-for-service reimbursement system to a clinically integrated, value-based healthcare system where physician groups are accountable for the coordination, cost, and quality of patient care. Visit us at www.apg.org.
Contact: Greg Phillips, APG Director of Communications, 202-770-1901, gphillips@apg.org
