Summit Health is part of an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) called “The Shared Savings Program” (aka MSSP). The Shared Savings Program is a voluntary program that encourages groups of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers to come together as an ACO to give coordinated, high quality care to their Medicare beneficiaries.

To learn more about ACOs, visit the Accountable Care Organizations webpage.

Summit has two distinct Medicare Shared Savings Programs (MSSPs). For more information, please click on a link below.

For Summit-NJ PatientsNY Patients (formerly Westmed)
Summit Health ACOWestmed Medical Group ACO
Only Summit Health NJ providers will be participating in this Summit Health ACO - CMS Medicare Shared Savings Program.Only Westmed Medical Group providers will be participating in this Westmed Medical Group ACO - CMS Medicare Shared Savings Program.

The Medicare Shared Savings Program makes data on ACOs publicly available. Find the most recent data on Data.CMS.gov.

 

What is an ACO?

An ACO is a group of doctors, hospitals, and/or other health care providers that work together to improve the quality and experience of care you get. These organizations help your doctors know your health history and talk to one another about your care and your health care needs. This can save you time and money by avoiding repeated tests and unneeded appointments. It may make it easier to spot potential problems before they become more serious—like drug interactions that can happen if one doctor isn’t aware of what another has prescribed.

ACOs are held accountable for performance on outcomes, patient experience measures, and cost of care for Medicare beneficiaries. Better care at a lower cost is accomplished through integrated care with all health care providers working as a team.

We are participating in this initiative because we believe it will help provide a better quality of care for our patients. Patients who participate in this initiative will benefit from care coordination and preventative services such as home visits and reduced or eliminated out-of-pocket expenses.

IMPORTANT!

ACOs do not change any of your Medicare benefits and do not limit your choice of health care providers. ACO patients still have the right to visit any doctor, hospital, or other provider that accepts Medicare at any time, even if that hospital or doctor isn’t a part of an ACO.

Questions / Concerns?

Did you know?

Medicare patients can log into Medicare.gov and choose their primary clinician, the health care provider they believe is responsible for coordinating your overall care. For more information, refer to the following resources:

An Accountable Care Organization – or ACO – is a group of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers that work as a team to give you high-quality, coordinated health care. Learn more about how ACOs can support your health care needs and goals.