Understanding The Latest ACO “Savings”: Curb Your Enthusiasm And Sharpen Your Pencils—Part 1
- J. Michael McWilliams, Alice Chen 11/12/2020
Pathways has not been the success it claims to be. Rather, it erred in trying to push the pace of savings without sufficiently attending to the various program parameters that shape ACOs’ incentives to participate and lower spending. In this two-part blog post, we provide a more rigorous and nuanced interpretation of MSSP performance data, describe problems with the program’s design, and lay out key considerations for improving the MSSP over the long haul. Our objective is to help get a repeatedly derailed conversation back on track.
Headings
Benchmark-Based “Savings” Do Not Measure Program Success
Promise And Problems In The MSSP
- Early Net Savings Understate Progress
- Success Is A Long-Term Concept
- Incentives To Save Have Been Weak
